A vendor waits for customers at a temporary market in southern Khartoum, Sudan, Oct. 11, 2025.(Photo by Mohamed Khidir/Xinhua)

KHARTOUM, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- In war-torn Khartoum, where traditional markets once bustled with life before being reduced to rubble, new temporary markets have emerged on the city's outskirts -- offering not just goods, but hope.

After several major markets in the capital were destroyed in the fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), traders relocated to the city's outskirts, creating what some call "shadow markets," while others refer to them as "markets of hope."

In southern Khartoum, a temporary market has sprung up without electricity, storage facilities, or reliable scales, but the austere setup hasn't dampened people's enthusiasm for coming.

"I lost everything, but I can't just sit and do nothing," Jadallah Ahmed Suleiman, a trader, told Xinhua.

"Through these temporary markets, we're trying to restart our trade. From these worn-out tables, we will begin our lives anew," he added.

Amina Mohamed, a widow and mother of five, describes the temporary market in southern Khartoum as more than just a source of income.

"This market is not just a place to sell -- it's a center of small-scale economic life. Women sit on the ground selling vegetables, fruits, and spices, while young men hand out tissues and bottles of water to passersby. Even children sometimes take part in selling," she told Xinhua. "It gives meaning to everyone's life."

Echoing the mother's sentiment, fruit and vegetable vendor Mohamed Ahmed Bashir said, "This market gave me back a sense of belonging. Despite the destruction that hit Khartoum, we are alive again."

Under a worn-out canvas cover sits Haj Omer, a man in his sixties who once owned a large shop before it was consumed by fire in the early days of the war. Today, he lays out his goods on a small wooden table he built himself.

"Money is important, but what's more important is the feeling that I still contribute to my life and to my family," he says with a tired smile.

"Every bundle of onions I sell, every customer who walks by, is a small victory against the destruction. The market is my second home. The sounds of the weighing scale and the voices of customers tell us that Khartoum is rising again," he told Xinhua.

In another corner of the temporary market, under a modest canopy, stands Mohamed Omer Abbakar, a university student working part-time selling juices and cold water.

"This market is no longer just a place to sell -- it has become a school of life, where everyone cooperates, young and old, men and women, to share the resources left and to revive hope," he said.

For Hassan Ali, a social activist, the temporary markets offer more than a means of survival -- they test the community's resilience.

"If people here can endure, the entire city can rise again. These markets have become a living model of recovery," he said.

"They may be temporary in form, but permanent in meaning. They reflect people's determination to restore daily life and redefine hope in a city learning to rebuild its future," Ali noted.

Sudan remains gripped by a broader conflict between the SAF and paramilitary RSF, which erupted in April 2023. The fighting has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, further deepening the country's humanitarian crisis. ■

Vendors are seen at a temporary market in southern Khartoum, Sudan, Oct. 11, 2025.(Photo by Mohamed Khidir/Xinhua)

Vendors are seen at a temporary market in southern Khartoum, Sudan, Oct. 11, 2025.(Photo by Mohamed Khidir/Xinhua)

This photo shows a scene at a temporary market in southern Khartoum, Sudan, Oct. 11, 2025.(Photo by Mohamed Khidir/Xinhua)