Updates and history on the conflict in Sudan Sudan is the country, Khartoum is the capitol. In 2004, at least 150,000 people were able to return to the homes they fled 20 years ago in the Nuba Mountains, but there's no food, running water, electricity or jobs. Sudan is the largest country in Africa. The southwest region Darfur, and the eastern region of Khartoum are war-torn. The government denies allegations of raping, looting, rampaging and destroying the country; the denials lead to more violence. Check out the glossary to keep the elements straight. Check out the timeline of events from 1881.
June 20th -- World Refugee Day
To celebrate, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan praised refugees from Uganda to Afghanistan for their perseverance and for never losing hope throughout dangerous, scary, despairing situations. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, went to Uganda and praised the country for their efforts to integrate Sudanese refugees and grant them land.
Uganda is also housing refugees from other neighboring war-torn countries, as are Chad and southern Libya. But the smallest country in the region has done more that any other country in the world to help people who are legitimately seeking asylum than Uganda.
Guterres said Uganda should be a pioneer and the west should learn from the practice of accepting those needing asylum. He said many countries are confusing terrorists with the original victims. I can't say he's too far off. The articles I found on June 20th were written by reporters in other countries, none were generated by American publications from what my Google search indicated, and many of these articles were linked back to the Reuters news organization. I see a New York publication has something new on the 21st though. I guess it's a fortunate thing this day of recognition was even published in our papers.
Children are eating leaves to stay alive while dodging weapons, trying not to get run over by tanks, and doing their best to avoid being killed and eaten by a wild desert animal to walk from one camp or another. If you've found a camp with a school of any kind you're practically in Heaven. I guess it takes something more severe than that to get major attention and coverage. Kudos to the publications who made an effort.
Lisala
Post a Comment
PrintThe Story Behind the War
No, not the war in Iraq, or the United States presence in Afghanastan, or anywhere else this country is represented in the world. It's the war in Sudan that really has my attention these days.
I'm embarrassed to say it took a sappy Aaron Spelling show to get me interested in the struggles of the African diasporas and that I didn't have much interest in the struggle or lifestyle until that point. The episode featured two Sudanese men who were college students. They told of their trek across the Sudanese desert, how they walked from refugee camp to refugee camp, battling guerilla warriors, hyenas, and fatal diseases. All these two had in the world was each other, but there were several hundred of unrelated boys walking this walk with them.
I've since learned eating leaves and bark and drinking whatever liquid they could to keep from dehydrating was the only way to survive, and that these children were lucky if the refugee camp they found had a one room hut/church to use as a school. I cannot imagine what it is like to grow up like that. And the Lost Boys aren't the only ones. There were families split apart walking all over the country too, and it's still going on right now while I type.
When I decided to write this piece, I Googled "Sudanese war" and "war in Sudan" The first ten links in these searches led me to one site, abcnews.com. This seems to be the premiere spot for updated information on the war. When I searched for the Lost Boys, I got several links back, for web sites developed in 2001, and the latest update was in 2003. I trekked to the library to look up newspaper articles from the past few months. I found a lot of articles that mentioned the war, but not many about it.
I did find a really good memoir at the library, Of Beetles and Angels : A Boy's Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard by Mawi Asgedom. Yes, it is written for children. Don't look for Asgedom to discuss the politics of his experiences. This is a good read if one is just looking to learn more from first-hand accounts of what it is like to be a child living through a refugee camp and starting a new life in a completely new and different place, and the obstacles to becoming acclimated with new surroundings.
Coming soon will be a summary of what has led to genocide in Sudan, an analyses of Colin Powell's visit to Sudan in late 2004, and other stories of interest.
