---
title: "A new start for Ahmed"
description: "When war destroyed his cattle and veterinary medicine business in Sudan, 30-year-old Ahmed fled to Uganda with his wife and three children, looking for safety and a chance to start again."
url: "https://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2026/a-new-start-for-ahmed"
language: "en"
published: "2026-10-22T10:22:10Z"
modified: "2026-10-22T10:22:10Z"
---

# A new start for Ahmed

Ahmed proudly holding up his registration certificate. Photo: NRC

When war destroyed his cattle and veterinary medicine business in Sudan, 30-year-old Ahmed fled to Uganda with his wife and three children, looking for safety and a chance to start again.

By **Waru Thomas Faustino and James Otim** Published 22. Oct 2026

[Uganda](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=114)

Ahmed had worked all his life as a herder and veterinary medicine trader in the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan State, Sudan. But the conflict took away his livelihood. His cattle were raided and his business was destroyed, leaving his family with almost nothing to live on.

The family arrived in Uganda in December 2024. Ahmed was registered as a refugee in Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement. Life in the settlement was hard, and the family relied mostly on food assistance and help from friends. “I felt bad because my wife and children were all surviving on food rations,” he explains. “I wanted to resume my business to support my family.”

Determined to become self-reliant, Ahmed looked for work outside the settlement. A friend in Koboko told him about the business openings there. Koboko is a busy trading town in north-western Uganda, about a two-hour drive from Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement, and close to the borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. After visiting and seeing the potential, Ahmed decided to move with his family to Koboko and restart his veterinary medicine business.

But his new business was not registered. This made it hard to expand, serve more customers, and compete with established dealers. He also feared that local authorities could shut it down. “I was always afraid that I could lose my business because it was not registered,” he says.

Through the Norwegian Refugee Council's (NRC) legal aid programme, run in partnership with the South Sudanese Refugees Association (SSURA), a refugee-led organisation in Koboko, Ahmed received legal advice and help to register his business. With this support, he obtained a Tax Identification Number from the Uganda Revenue Authority, registered his business with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau, and got a trading license from Koboko Municipality.

Being registered gave Ahmed the confidence to invest in his business. He expanded his shop and can now compete with other dealers supplying herbal and veterinary medicines to customers in Koboko and beyond.

“Today, I can work, support my family and look to the future with hope,” he concludes.

His business now provides an income that helps him meet his family's basic needs, pay rent and cover school fees for his children. After losing his livelihood in Sudan, Ahmed is running his own business again and building a more secure future for his family.

*Sign up to our newsletter to read more stories from around the world.*

[Sign up to newsletter](https://www.nrc.no/sign-up-to-newsletter)