'Dem kill half of my friends' - Twins wey witness attacks on dia school tok

Evritin bin dey waka normal for 18 years old twin Makarem and Ikram before kasala burst for dia school.

Makarem bin dey English Literature class and Ikram bin dey for science lesson wen dem hear strange sound wey come from outside di school for Sudan.

Den di sounds come plenti.

Makarem say her shoulder shift wen di strike hit her. She shout, her classmates fall for ground to hide to avoid di shellfire wey dey happun.

"We take cover beside di walls and di girl wey dey stand next to me put her hand for my shoulder say "your shoulder dey bleed."

As kasala burst di two teachers wey bin dey separate classrooms try to reach each oda, but dem no fit. Later Ikram search for her sister but no know say dem don carri am go hospital.

Like odas wey dem don injure, locals carri Makarem go hospital, dem use cars and animal drawn carts sake of say no ambulance dey di city el-Obeid wia di school.

Her teachers and classmates later convince Ikram to abandon di search and go house.

Na later wen Makarem come back home from hospital dat day, dem sabi say she still dey alive.

"I wait for her outside for front door, when I see her dey come, evribodi cry," na so Ikram tok. She bin dey di part of di school wey shelling no touch and nothing happun to am.

Dem kill Makarem and Ikram English teacher plus 13 classmates. Dozens get injury for di attack for Sitta girls school for el-Obeid, for north Kordofab state for August 2024. Di school dey normally get about 300 students.

Regional authorities dey accuse di paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces RSF wey bin dey on war wit Sudan army say na dem do di shelling.

RSF never comment on di incident and no respond to BBC request for comment. E never clear weda dem intentionally shell di schools.

Makarem say half of her friends for di school die while plenti get injury.

Apart from di shoulder injury, she also get head wound, but di hospital discharge am as she don take basic treatment.

But some days later, she develop severe headache, dem do her CT scan, na dia dem find out say she get piece of shrapnel inside her head.

"E dey pain well-well, I take plenti painkillers" she tok.

Sudan civil war start for April 2023 and don lead to di death of 150,000 pipo and displace millions.

United Nations say di kontri now dey face di worst humanitarian crisis for di world.

13 million out of 17 million school age children wey still dey for Sudan dey out of school according to di UN.

Dem close Abu Sitta school for three months after di attack as dem renovate am.

Makarem and Ikram bin say dem no fit return to di place wia dem kill dia friends and teacher.

"But wen I see my friends dey return and dey tell me say tins don dey ok, I decide to change my mind," na so Ikram tok.

Even so, as dem return to school, e bring back painful memories.

Dem bin give some students psychological support for school wen dem return, na so Headteacher Iman Ahmed tok.

Dem provide beds and nurses to help injured students take dia exams in comfort.

Even though el-Obeid dey see drone attacks, when BBC visit di area for December, we see di students dey play and laugh for courtyard.

Di Headteacher describe di girl's determination to continue dia studies despite wetin happun to dem as "form of defiance and loyalty to dose wey dem loose".

Situation of children to study for el-Obeid now dey challenging.

Di city dey under siege by di RSF for more dan one year and half until Sudan army regain control for February 2025.

Though calm don kinda return to di area, dem don convert dozens of schools into shelters for pipo wey dey run from war.

El-Obeid dey host almost one million displaced pipo across shelters according to di state humanitarian aid commissioner.

Ibtisam Ali, wey be student for secondary school wey dem don convert say she no fit leave her classroom until end of school day cos plenti displaced pipo full evriwia.

"Even to go to di bathroom na problem for us," na so she tok.

Minister of education for North Kordofan state Walid Mohamed Al-Hassan say di presence of displaced families for schools dey cause problems - including sanitation but dese na conditions of war and cost of war.

'I dey hopeful'

Despite di war and evritin wey happun, Makarem and Ikram wey don turn 19 dey hopeful about dia future.

Ikram don complete her studies for school and now dey study English for di University for el-Obeid.

Her inspiration na her English teacher Fathiya Khalil Ibrahim wey dem kill for di attack.

Di death of her friends make am dey more determined to complete her studies, na so she tok.

"I continue dey tell myself say say we go dey carri on di ambition to achieve wetin dem no fit achieve."

Makarem wan become doctor like di ones wey treat am after di attack injure am.

She pass her secondary school exams but she no pass di score dem require to enta university to study medicine.

Makarem say di shrapnel wey lodge inside her head wey dem no fit remove surgically bin make am hard for her to study like bifor.

"I dey only fit study for one hour, and den rest for anoda one hour. E bin dey difficult."

Dr Tarek Zobier wey be neurologist for Sudan say medical implications of having shrapnel for head dey vary from case to case.

Some pipo fit no experience symptoms and fit live without medical intervention.

But if dem begin get severe symptoms alike spasms, dem go need surgery.

For Makarem di pain no too dey again though e dey come more during cold times. She dey rely on painkillers wen e come.

She don decide to repeat her school year so she fit retake her exams.

"I believe say I go fit achieve di score wey I dey aim."

"I dey hopeful for future," na so she tok.