Bluffton couple escapes from Sudan following outbreak of hostilities

By Gwyneth J. Saunders CONTRIBUTOR

On April 15, Bluffton residents Denise DiBiasi-Bowers and her husband Chris were doing their regular Saturday grocery shopping at the market 15 minutes from their apartment in Khartoum, Sudan, when they got a school security alert on their phones.

“If there’s a protest or demonstration, we get an alert from the school. It’s an order to avoid the area, stay at home, seek shelter, or do not leave, but we were already out and there were no details,” said Denise.

Not knowing what the alert was for, the couple “literally raced through the store” and got what they needed.

“All the locals were like ‘No, it’s fine. It’s Sudan. Inshallah. It’s going be fine, nothing bad happens here.’ But we [thought] we’ve got to get home, and on the way home we started getting texts from friends saying that the airport was attacked, and fighting had begun,” she said.

The conflict was between the forces of Sudan’s paramilitary chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and the country’s military leader, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, a situation that had been simmering for some time. That was not the kind of educational experience the Bowers anticipated when Denise signed up to teach kindergarten at the Khartoum International Community Schools in Sudan.

“I’ve taught since I was fresh out of college, but always in the Beaufort County area, public and private schools. Then I had a few friends that went international and so I was interested, but it was never the right time for me,” she said. “When our youngest graduated high school and secured a job in the fire department, I said to Chris, let’s do this. Now’s the time. We don’t have any other responsibilities.”

Their Sudan experience wasn’t anything like what they had when living in Bangladesh, where they were able to immerse themselves in the local culture and activities.

“When you’re an international teacher, part of it is the travel experience, so this was the gateway to all of Africa,” she said. “I accepted the contract, and then the coup started. I called back and said I couldn’t take this. I don’t know how safe it is. They assured me it was safe. They talked to the people who used to work there, and current employees, and they said, ‘No, it’s safe. The coup is relatively quiet. They do demonstrations, but at a given time and location.’ You just don’t go to that area. It’s very peaceful.”

Denise was told the school had a tight evacuation plan.

Please see SUDAN on page 8A

BUY NOW, SCHEDULE LATER

EASY AS 1-2-3

Select Your Location

To purchase your mammogram, visit BeaufortMemorial.org/SaveOnMammos Select your preferred location (Beaufort or Okatie) and click “Add to Cart.”

Make Your Purchase Online

Pay in advance by May 31 with a credit card, HSA/FSA account, or PayPal. Vouchers can be used up to six months from the time of purchase.

Schedule Your Mammogram

Call (843) 522-5015 to make an appointment for your mammogram and bring your voucher to your appointment as proof of purchase.

In recognition of Women’s Health Month, Beaufort Memorial has partnered with MDsave to provide $99 mammograms. Promotional pricing applies to 3-D screening mammogram vouchers purchased through MDsave between May 1-31. If other procedures or views are necessary at the time of the exam, there may be additional charges for the patient and/or their insurance plan.