Reply to Kuac Barjok’s Article “The Continued Slavery in the Sudan”
7 min readThe bridge between the culture and politics is to keep the Culture alive and Embrace the Future: In reply to “The Continued Slavery in the Sudan” by Kuac Barjok
By Kuach Loch Garang Deng, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Dear Kuac Barjok,
April 8, 2015 (SSB) —- Thanks for very informative article about continued slavery in Sudan. It’s hard to believe that people of South Sudanese are still living in yoke of Sudan like the marginalized people of Darfur, Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile.
It’s impossible to praise a hero for mission accomplished to just turn back to same hero tomorrow and tell him his heroism is incomplete. Otherwise, South Sudan is free geographically but some of her citizens are still in slavery in great number. In fact, one could shed tears to learn that 35,000 of their own kin are still living in slavery.
Worst of all, some of these victims are not very faraway but closer to home where they can sense where they belong to but they cannot leave due to insecurity. For instance, Eastern Darfur thickest jungles have South Sudanese people and other small towns surrounding Dhian are holding and are still practicing slavery as we speak. Indeed, slavery is one of the oldest injustice institutions which are difficult to be eradicated it easily by uncommitted organizations.
As a result, marginalized people of Sudan in depiction of Darfur, Blue Nile, Nuba Mountains and other African descendants are in slavery in Sudan as well as people of South Sudan because there is no one serious about their case. Some of them are physically sold out to the outside world.
Slavery in Sudan could be categorized as following:
Mentally enslaved groups
When South Sudan broke out and becomes independent nation, it left many of her citizens behind. First group were those who were /are mentally enslaved or brainwashed to reject South Sudan and as a nation and they chose to remain in old Sudan for some reasons known to them.
Some of these groups were young South Sudanese who were born or grow up in the North during Sudan civil war and what they were as a reason is the fact that they do not know South Sudan physically since they were born in the North.
These bad bred for the lack better term, did disservice to themselves and their kin in South Sudan. However, many of these kids have a full freedom to join their parents in South Sudan when they would see ugly part Khartoum regime hides from them until now. There are also many politicians who remain in Sudan for their personal or political reason.
Social and Economic groups
Other groups who are still seen in Sudan as eyesore are individuals who remain behind for economic reasons. These people are willing to return to their ancestors’ homeland in South Sudan but they cannot afford to make it due to the lack of resources. Other groups do not have a plan to return given the economic hardship, health and education factor for their young ones in the country where outside or foreign nations are preferred.
These people are living in situation akin to slavery because they are being exploited by Sudanese to sell their labor for worthless price for the survival of their families or wait for UN handouts.Worst of all, their numbers doubled in ongoing war in South Sudan. Indeed, this group is wider and the majority among them and it includes people of marginalized areas in Sudan.
For example, many people in Darfur today believed-and have seen injustice Khartoum regime inflicted on them or their kin but choose to remain in silent. The same is true to people of Blue Nile, Nuba Mountains and the rest of none Arabs groups living in Sudan under umbrella of slaves (Abed) these people,the marginalized people of Sudan are the one misrepresented or left alone by human rights groups because their case has never been better than before.
However,one could rarely hear or see about Darfur and SPLM/N in media like before. They are left to faint for themselves to mercy of God to borrow your statement”. Indeed,Darfur war is not over but western nations, International Community and Human Rights Watch had turned their eyes and cameras away and they are left to die in darkness.
Physically chained groups
To make the matter worst, there is/are still many people of South Sudan in slavery similar to people of Darfur and other marginalized areas. Indeed, other marginalized areas are still in engaging in war and who knows they will fully free themselves once and for all in the end of their struggle. What about people of South Sudan in slavery to this day? Do they have champions somewhere?
Comrade Kuac, you are one of the right people who could slightly nudge SPLM/A heroes who liberated 99.9% people of South Sudan to take example of Jesus Christ who left 99 sheep and went to search for one missing lamb!
In fact, 35,000South Sudanese citizens who are still chained to their ankles in Sudanese towns and others are sent as far as Arab World; this number is huge that can raise eyebrows for true human rights advocates to lose sleep over night for their suffering.Yet no one!
As I mentioned earlier, I felt sad and sorry to myself because if my own kin Deng,John, Lado and Galuak, Achol and Abuk just to mention but few are still held as slaves by Arab; what would prevent these people- Arabs from viewing me/us as his/their slaves. These groups of people in slavery have zero chance of freedom because of insecurity they face daily and so they are like inmates in death row.
Other groups of these people in slavery are lured or assimilated to like the culture and once they hooked to it, they will never think of leaving it anymore. These people are given Arab names, offered women and they are groomed to act as real Arab and promoted as heroes who could defend and die in frontline killing their parents back home in South Sudan. Women are raped, abused and made to be domestic workers in many homes in the North-Sudan today.
In situation of slavery in Sudan especially in case of Darfur, western nation biases and human rights groups have fail Darfurian very clearly. I haven’t seen Darfur case making headlines recently in western medium as it used to be. This leaves someone to ask to why this silent? Western nations gave in into case of Darfur.The same goes to Blue Nile and Nuba mountains. Maybe western nations do not defend people they cannot gain a buck from their case.
What could be a solution is not a magic pill or western nations or defunct International Community. Indeed, Darfur factions could come back very strongly if they form one group under one leadership. They also need to reach out to Darfurians who are still in bed with Bashir to join them. Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains need a very strong front as well to combat and fight for the cause.
If these people gain momentum in the battle fields,their case would come up again and these hiding Human rights groups may again appear or intervene. Indeed, American and western nations are nothing but Business or corporate human rights groups. As you have seen in case of ISIS,the west took it seriously because if ISIS succeed to form Islamic state in Iraq, it would surely threat “American and western allies interests in Middle East”those of Saudis and Qataris may fall to ISIS which is too bad for the west.
This would be a direct threat to American and international market if the Middle East oil supplies is disturbed by ISIS. For that reason America act quickly before ISIS gain the ground in Middle East. However, Because Darfur and those of Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains have no much economic impact in the world market economy, so who cares they live or preach.
In case of people of South Sudan problems which I mentioned in few categories above, their problems could be mitigated if leaders of South Sudan quit this shameful war and focus on real leadership such as development. If South Sudan develops economically, it will attract those who are shameful to accept it as their nation.
For those in slavery, South Sudanese could demand their release from bondage in collaboration with UN and other international Organizations.
Otherwise, American and Western world are not very cheap babysitters and cannot offer their services free of charges. I Wish I am wrong!
Comrade Kuac, bravo for information once again!
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