A 27-YEAR-OLD electrical engineering student has died trying to fix the power at a hospital affected by the fighting in Sudan’s Darfur region.
Muhammedin Fadul Idris Wadi, known to his friends as Ala Danedn, was electrocuted at Sayed al-Shahada Health Centre in Fasher city on Thursday.
He was part of a group volunteers trying to keep the clinic going amid fierce clashes and looting.
“He was known for his smile, even in the time of the war,” his friend said.
“He gave his life as a servant of the people of Fasher,” Ahmed Ishaq, who studied with him at the University of Fasher, told the BBC.
Ala Danedn was admired for his tireless work and selfless community initiatives, he said.
A tag line accompanying his profile photo on Facebook reads: “Don’t wait for the opportunity, create it.”
Since the conflict broke out in Sudan between rival military factions on 15 April, his group of volunteers, called the Youth of the al-Thawra Initiative, have been focused on assisting medics in Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.
All medical facilities in Fasher, except South Hospital – a repurposed maternity clinic – had to close because of their proximity to the fighting, or the inability of staff to reach them.
“I saw him working with all effort to clean and receive the wounded in South Hospital throughout the first week,” said Mr Ishaq.
“He kept us buoyant psychologically in difficult times with his kind words – and he worked like a bee.”
The volunteers then turned their attention to the Sayed al-Shahada Health Centre, which had been damaged and looted and subsequently abandoned by staff.
