Bushra Ibnauf Sulieman, a 49-year-old dual national of the U.S. and Sudan, was trying to escape the capital of Kharthoum with his ailing parents, American wife and two American children last week when he was attacked Tuesday, his friends told The Associated Press on Sunday.

A band of strangers surrounded Sulieman in his yard and fatally stabbed him to death as he tried to flee with his family. Friends suspect that the group was motivated by robbery, a common occurrence in the capital during the fighting.

Doctors at Khartoum’s Soba Hospital, where Sulieman worked, were unable to save his life.

[This doctor tried to do a lot of good in Sudan, and likely would have left already if not for his commitment to the people there. Rest in peace, and may his family find their way out of the destruction. — Ed]