30 Mahmoud

Mahmoud. 27 years old. Sudanese | “If I stay here, what am I to do? In Europe, there is the good life, but I don’t want to live here. I need to live with my parents, to do something for society there in Sudan… But there is no other solution, because in Sudan I would be in prison.” After completing his librarian studies in Khartoum, Mahmoud returned to his hometown of Al Fashir in Darfur. With a few friends, he created a volunteering organization to teach in high schools where teachers are sorely lacking. But by accepting aid from a United Nations mission, the group got on the wrong side of the police who ordered them to stop collaborating with the international organization. Mahmoud was arrested and imprisoned in Khartoum. Thanks to the help of a friend, he escaped and reached Libya and then Europe by sea. In June 2017, one year after arriving in France, Mahmoud obtained refugee status, which enabled him to begin training as a formwork carpenter with the Geiq. “This is a big opportunity for me. Because when you work, you can learn French faster.” However, Mahmoud is concerned that his youth will pass him by in exile: “Too much time is wasted on papers, in the camps. We don’t want to live like this: sleeping on the street. Then staying in the camps to sleep, eat, sleep. We come here because we have no choice: we are refugees!” Mahmoud wants to work in order to learn French and go to university. But his dearest wish would be to be able to return to live among his own people. | Foyer pour jeunes travailleurs, Val d’Argenteuil, France 2019