Let them live: A child’s plea for peace in Sudan
The voices of Sudan’s forgotten children
Isn’t it naive for a child, who is burning, to ask how much pain there is?
This war stole my childhood, extinguished the light of my future, and erased my joy.
I wish the war had given me even a moment to live my childhood and enjoy it.
Life has become a maze; I’ve lived through tragic days where death was the only companion I saw everywhere.
I remain the child from the margins, knocking on doors and begging for mercy, but no one ever took my hand.
I’ve grown too much—my childhood has aged. Despair crept into me, and life died before me.
So, tell me, what kind of life do you want to know about?
I wish childhood had been given a chance—to build dreams, to achieve, to look back and remember.
I thought the war would end, the country would flourish, and schools would open.
I thought the sounds of cannons would fade, and darkness would dissipate.
I wanted the children of my country to decide, to create, to learn, to lead, to achieve, and to build the bright future we all dreamed of.
But now, I only want the children of my country to live!
Childhood has been lost; children in my country no longer fear death or cry.
The sound of cannons doesn’t bother them anymore!
The children of my country have grown up; I no longer see innocence or childhood.
Someone clipped their wings, robbing them of their peace of mind and forcing them to drink from the cup of sorrow and despair.
For the past 18 months, Muzdalifa and her family have been trapped in El Fasher, North Darfur, amidst ongoing war. Before the violence engulfed her life, Muzdalifa was an active member of her school’s peace club, passionately advocating for harmony and understanding.
Through UNICEF’s Poems for Peace initiative—which provides children a platform to express, in their own words, the devastating effects of war and their hopes for a brighter future—Muzdalifa penned a powerful poem. Her words are a heartfelt plea for peace and safety for the children of Sudan, who deserve the chance to dream, grow, and live without fear.
