Born into the Zaghawa tribe in the remote western deserts of the Sudan, Halima Bashir had a wonderfully rich childhood in a close-knit family where she flourished. But this happy environment was shattered when Janjaweed Arab militias began Savagely attacking her tribe, gang raping schoolgirls and innocent women. Unable to stand by and do nothing, Halima spoke out to a Sudanese newspaper and to the ON. But then her own nightmare began.
The first memoir from a woman born and raised in South Darfur is an incredibly powerful account of the horrors of the genocide.Born into the Zaghawa tribe in the remote western deserts of the Sudan, Halima Bashir had a wonderfully rich childhood in a close-knit family where she flourished. She went to university to study medicine and returned to her people as their fast practising doctor.But this happy environment was shattered when Janjaweed Arab militias began Savagely attacking her tribe, gang raping schoolgirls and innocent women. Unable to stand by and do nothing, Halima spoke out to a Sudanese newspaper and to the ON. But then her own nightmare began. She was captured, tortured and raped. Although she finally escaped, the army followed her and she knew she would have to leave for good. Halima then set out on an epic journey to escape the hell of Darfur.
PART ONE
CHILD OF THE DESERT
1. The Naming
2. Grandma's Trip to the Lost Valley
3. Moon-bone Madness
4. Mo, Omer and Me
5. The Cutting Time
PART TWO
SCHOOL OF THE DESERT
6. School Days
7. Fight School
8. Resistance for Grandma
9. The White Eyelash Attack
10. Cousins in Love
11. Dream to Be
PART THREE
DESERT OF FIRE
12. Medical School
13. University of Jihad
Tears of the Desert
14. Rumours of War
15. Medicine Woman
16. Accident and Emergency
17. Mission to Mazkhabad
18. Rebel Doctor
19. Black Dogs and Slaves
20. They Come for Me
21. A Long-distance Wedding
22. The Devil Horsemen
23. A Time of Fear
PART FOUR
DESERT OF NO RETURN
24. Escape from Darfur
25. The Hostel of Despair
26. In London, in Love
27. Breaking the Silence
28. Will to Live
Epilogue
Glossary