Group items tagged

26,000 other displaced

overthrown by rebels.

“When the pain in James’ legs became too much to bear, one of the older boys would pick him up…when he had gone days without water, he sucked liquid from the mud, when he was so weak from hunger, he ate leaves and berries.

Since 1983, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Sudanese Government have been at war in southern Sudan. The conflict has already claimed more than 500,000 lives and displaced huge numbers of people. Among these were at least 20,000 children, mostly boys, between 7 and 17 years of age who were separated from their families. These 'lost boys' of the Sudan trekked enormous distances over a vast unforgiving wilderness, seeking refuge from the fighting. Hungry, frightened and weakened by sleeplessness and disease, they crossed from the Sudan into Ethiopia and back, with many dying along the way. The survivors are now in camps in Kenya, the Sudan and Uganda.

Others set out for refugee camps in Ethiopia. Some travelled with friends or relatives, others slipped away on their own at night. Few had any idea of what lay ahead of them. They believed the trek would last only a few days and discovered that they faced a harrowing journey of 6 to 10 weeks. Continually under threat, they would flee for their lives, losing their way in the wilderness. Often they lost everything en route—blankets, sheets, shoes, clothes and pots—to soldiers, swindlers or bandits. Many fell victim to killer diseases. Others were so weakened by hunger and lack of sleep that they could go no further and sat down by the roadside—prey for lions and other animals.

Since 1992, UNICEF has managed to reunite nearly 1,200 boys with their families. But approximately 17,000 remain in camps in the region. The harsh memories remain as well. As 14-year-old Simon Majok puts it: "We were suffering because of war. Some have been killed. Some have died because of hunger and disease. We children of the Sudan, we were not lucky."

Some of the girls are beaten, raped, or sold off to older men who pay a bridal fee of between five and 50 cows to the foster family.

So why are the girls facing hardship in Kakuma while the boys are living out the American dream?

Where Are the "Lost Girls"?

"In our culture, women are being dominated. Not just in Sudan, but in all of Africa. Maybe people don't think we did much, because they see us as followers of the 'Lost Boys'." "But the fact remains ladies were there."

The walking seemed endless. So did the sun, and the thirst. Every day.

And walked. And walked.

He walked because stopping might mean death. Or enslavement.

. It lasted for 22 years

conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central Sudanese government

natural resources of Sudan, particularly in the South, where there are significant oil fields.

70% of Sudan's export earnings.

Nile river and heavier precipitation in southern Sudan, the south also has greater access to water, and is therefore much more fertile

autonomy

Southern Sudanese

ealized that the central government intended to divide the Southern government, centralize power, and Arabize and Islamize the entire country.

It's the largest resettlement of its kind in American history.

It's a group that's lost in time

Most were 7 or 8 when their troubles began in 1987. That's when their predominantly Christian villages in southern Sudan were attacked by Islamic forces from the north.