"Not Just a Profession".. Khartoum Libraries Resume Activity Despite the Scars of War

SadaNews - In the heart of the commercial center of downtown Khartoum, some paper libraries have started to gradually return to work after long months of halt, despite the significant losses they suffered due to the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, which caused the destruction or damage of dozens of old libraries in the area.

Among the carefully rearranged shelves stands Mustafa Mohamed Al-Noor inside his library, which he returned to after the Sudanese army regained control of the capital. The man, who has been in the book trade since the early 1990s, found himself facing a different scene after years of absence; books scattered on the ground, others burned, and signs of destruction affecting the place where he spent many years.

In his talk to Al Jazeera Net, Mustafa described his relationship with books as "not just a profession, but a daily connection that has lasted for decades," explaining that he was accustomed to collecting books from various places, and his library is known for having rare and old titles sought after by researchers and readers.

A Return to Resume Activity

Mustafa recalled the early days of the war, when clashes broke out while he was in the library during the invasion of Khartoum, noting that he was unable at that time to secure his books or close the shop as usual, before finding himself besieged for hours in the commercial area.

After leaving the place, Mustafa was forced to stay away from his library for nearly three years, before returning again after the security situation improved somewhat. He said that the moment of return was difficult, especially when seeing the burned and damaged books, but he hurried to reorganize what remained of them and arrange the library in preparation for resuming work.

He added that reopening the library gave him a sense of relief, despite the scale of the losses, pointing out that there has been a relative improvement in the book-buying movement, although economic conditions and rising living and fuel costs still affect commercial activity.

Mustafa hopes that the commercial area will witness further recovery in the upcoming period, with the return of shop and library owners to restore what the war left behind, and to gradually bring life back to one of the oldest book-selling centers in the Sudanese capital.

Source: Al Jazeera