The Continued Slavery in the Sudan
5 min readBy Kuac Barjok, New York, USA
April 6, 2015 (SSB) —- Dear esteemed reader, you think slavery is a thing of the past? Me too. But wait, we’re both dead wrong! The genocidal regime of President Bashir of Sudan still backs slavery in the 21st century. It is quite absurd and inhuman, right?
Well, that is what it is in the republic of Sudan but the worst and hypocritical case is, the world is too busy combatting the Islamic of Iraq for its inhuman actions toward Christians and non-believers in the Middle East, and not combatting the Islamic state of Sudan for the same murderous actions.
You see the West’s contradiction on terrorism issues? At my space and time, I would argue that the Sudanese government is worse than the Islamic State and the same response given to Islamic State should be employed against the Sudanese government until they cease supporting terrorist related undertakings. I repeat Bashir’s government is more brutal than the Islamic State.
Why? Let me explain. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syrian are blatantly evils. They callously kill people on religious lines in their attempts to create Islamic world, convert non-Muslims into Muslims, and in all, their killing intentions are precisely political and deplorable, too.
However, like the Islamic State, the government of Sudan does all of the above, and worst of them, killing people on racial lines and enslave them. Sudan is a much diversified country with so many tribes with different cultural beliefs and civilizations.
With that said, there’re varying indigenous groups in the Sudan. The struggle of the Black People especially the people of Nuba Mountains and Darfur is appalling and does not require our muted response.
An America civil rights movement leader, Martin Luther King, onetime said that “Injustice is anywhere is injustice everywhere”, and hence, the inhuman suffering and enslavement of Black people in the Sudan is unjust to our world no matter where you belong unless you’re unjust and merciless, too. Like I do, I strongly argue you to stand up against slavery, say never again!
The Republic of Sudan continues its violation of human rights in the Sudanese region.
Lately and according to Christian Solidarity International, an organization working to liberate slaves in the Sudan and Christians under unpleasant treatments in the Middle East(mostly in Iran and Egypt lately), there are over 35,000 South Sudanese living under slavery in the Sudan.
To validate my claim and in conformity with the above report, watch the testimonies of the recently freed slaves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNbCKQQ4JcI&list=PLA6388FF2831A35F7.
They’re reputedly from Northern El Ghazal State (Aweil) in South Sudan. Not only these, many more unreported Nubians and Darfurians are under slavery in their own country. Apparently, the victims are being left to their slave masters mercy. May Allah bless them?
The Christian Solidarity International organization has retrieved a good number of the former slaves back to their home towns in South Sudan. The Republic of Sudan has been at war with Southern Sudan since early 1950s till 2005 when the two parties (NCP and SPLM) signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement which paved the way for South Sudan’s independence in 2011.
Though separated, both countries still fight proxy wars on the border fronts. The two Sudans affianced in a heavy border military confrontation in April 2012 in Heglig which claimed many lives on both sides though South Sudan was the victor.
While at war (1983-2005), the heavily armed Sudanese military forces would abduct South Sudanese children, women, and men and transport them to the Northern Towns and subject them to slavery. By slavery, they are subjected to rape, forced labor without pay, forced marriage, forcibly convert them into Islam, restrict them from traveling and many other inhuman evils as the retrieved victims tell ( read more here: Slavery in North Sudan) their frightful torments in the hands of their merciless slave masters in Northern Sudan.
Slavery is a devilish act and must be stopped and to stop slavery, the world must stand united against oppressive evils just like the way it did 50+ years ago. Stand up for Sudan!
As far as the international community is concerned, and the abolition of Slavery years back, the countries like US and its political allies are doing very little or nothing to stop these protracted devilish practices in the Sudan.
The Sudanese president who’s the head of criminals in the country as per the International Criminal Court’s indictment, for war crimes against humanity in Darfur, is at large and defying the calls for his prosecution.
It would not be entirely wrong to mention that the so-called international community has backed down and licensed president Bashir to enslave, behead and bomb whoever he wants as it is happening in Nuba Mountains and Darfur today. The international court indicted president Bashir six (6) years ago over undeniable crimes of genocide in Darfur but then, nobody persecuted him and his two ministers.
A curious mind would ask then, what happened? Why is the world babysitting genocidal called Bashir?
This article is a revised version of my old article.
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In reply to Continued Slavery inSudan
By Kuach Loch Garang Deng
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
April 7, 2015
Dear KuacBarjok,
Thanksfor very informative article about continued slavery in Sudan. It’s hard tobelieve that people of South Sudanese are still living in yoke of Sudan likethe marginalized people of Darfur, Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile.
It’simpossible to praise a hero for mission accomplished to just turn back to samehero tomorrow and tell him his heroism is incomplete. Otherwise, South Sudan isfree geographically but some of her citizens are still in slavery in greatnumber. In fact, one could shed tears to learn that 35,000 of their own kin arestill 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 dueto insecurity. For instance, Eastern Darfur thickest jungles have South Sudanesepeople and other small towns surrounding Dhian are holding and are still practicingslavery as we speak. Indeed, slavery is one of the oldest injustice institutionswhich are difficult to be eradicated it easily by uncommitted organizations. Asa result, marginalized people of Sudan in depiction of Darfur, Blue Nile, NubaMountains and other African descendants are in slavery in Sudan as well aspeople of South Sudan because there is no one serious about their case. Some ofthem are physically sold out to the outside world.
Slaveryin Sudan could be categorized as following:
Mentally enslaved groups
WhenSouth Sudan broke out and becomes independent nation, it left many of hercitizens behind. First group were those who were /are mentally enslaved or brainwashedto reject South Sudan and as a nation and they chose to remain in old Sudan forsome reasons known to them. Some of these groups were young South Sudanese who wereborn or grow up in the North during Sudan civil war and what they were as areason is the fact that they do not know South Sudan physically since they wereborn in the North. These bad bred for the lack better term, did disservice tothemselves and their kin in South Sudan. However, many of these kids have a fullfreedom to join their parents in South Sudan when they would see ugly part theKhartoum’s regime hides from them until now. There are also many politicianswho remain in Sudan for their personal or political reason.
Social and Economic groups
Othergroups who are still seen in Sudan as eyesore are individuals who remain behindfor 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 ofresources. Other groups do not have a plan to return given the economichardship, health and education factor for their young ones in the country whereoutside or foreign nations are preferred. These people are living in situationakin to slavery because they are being exploited by Sudanese to sell their laborfor 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, thisgroup is wider and the majority among them and it includes people ofmarginalized areas in Sudan. For example, many people in Darfur today believedand have seen injustice Khartoum regime inflicted on them or their kin butchoose to remain in silent. The same is true to people of Blue Nile, Nuba Mountains and the rest ofnone Arabs groups living in Sudan under umbrella of slaves (Abed).These people,the marginalized people of Sudan are the one misrepresented or left alone byhuman 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. Theyare 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 HumanRights Watch had turned their eyes and cameras away and they are left to die indarkness.
Physically chained groups
Tomake the matter worst, there is/are still many people of South Sudan in slaverysimilar to people of Darfur and other marginalized areas. Indeed, othermarginalized areas are still in engaging in war and who knows they will fullyfree themselves once and for all in the end of their struggle. What aboutpeople 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/Aheroes who liberated 99.9% people of South Sudan to take example of JesusChrist 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 townsand others are sent as far as Arab World; this number is huge that can raiseeyebrows for true human rights advocates to lose sleep over night for their suffering.Yet no one!
AsI 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 asslaves by Arab; what would prevent these people- Arabs from viewing me/us as his/theirslaves. These groups of people in slavery have zero chance of freedom becauseof insecurity they face daily and so they are like inmates in death row.
Othergroups of these people in slavery are lured or assimilated to like the cultureand once they hooked to it, they will never think of leaving it anymore. Thesepeople are given Arab names, offered women and they are groomed to act as real Araband promoted as heroes who could defend and die in frontline killing theirparents back home in South Sudan. Women are raped, abused and made to bedomestic workers in many homes in the North-Sudan today.
Insituation of slavery in Sudan especially in case of Darfur, western nationbiases and human rights groups have fail Darfurian very clearly. I haven’t seenDarfur case making headlines recently in western medium as it used to be. Thisleaves 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 notdefend people they cannot gain a buck from their case.
What could be a solution is not a magic pill orwestern nations or defunct International Community. Indeed, Darfur factionscould come back very strongly if they form one group under one leadership. Theyalso need to reach out to Darfurians who are still in bed with Bashir to jointhem. Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains need a very strong front as well to combatand 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 againappear or intervene. Indeed, American and western nations are nothing butBusiness 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 inIraq, 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. Thiswould be a direct threat to American and international market if the MiddleEast oil supplies is disturbed by ISIS. For that reason America act quicklybefore ISIS gain the ground in Middle East. However, Because Darfur and thoseof Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains have no much economic impact in the worldmarket economy, so who cares they live or preach.
In case of people of South Sudanproblems which I mentioned in few categories above, their problems could bemitigated if leaders of South Sudan quit this shameful war and focus on real leadershipsuch as development. If South Sudan develops economically, it will attract thosewho are shameful to accept it as their nation. For those in Slavery, SouthSudanese could demand their release from bondage in collaboration with UN andother international Organizations. Otherwise, American and Western world arenot very cheap babysitters and cannot offer their services free of charges. I WishI am wrong! Comrade Kuac, bravo for information once again!