By Issa A. Mansaray, Minnesota
First of a two-part story
At the University of Minnesota Law School, Gabriel Kou
Solomon, a graduate student in international human
rights advocacy, tried hard to hold back the tears.
He couldn’t. He broke down and cried. Then he wiped away his tears and talked about his nieces: Yar, aged
three, and Ajak, aged 18 months. They were abducted by members of the Murle militias in Liilir, south Sudan.
Abductions or kidappings are a big problem in South Sudan, according to Solomon, 27. "It
is occurring daily in Sudan," he said.
This shows that despite a Comprehensive Peace
Agreement (CPA) signed in January 2005, the local
Murle militias, an auxiliary of the Khartoum-supported
Janjaweeds, continue to abduct young children with
impunity.
At Walter Mondale Hall, lecture room 2, Solomon has just ended an hour-long interview with me. He wants the
world to know about what is happening in Liirir and
Darfur in the north.
Solomon’s two nieces had been
abducted a few days prior to our meeting. It is part
of the Sudanese government’s genocidal policy, according to Solomon.
"Because of the frequent abductions, we are trying to
get the authorities on the ground [in Minnesota] to
respond,"Solomon said.
"It is a systematic problem that is going on. Somebody is behind it."
In recent weeks, child abductions have become rampant in
south Sudan, especially in Liirir and Darfur. Despite
a huge international outcry, Khartoum continues to ignore
international law and the U.S. Congress’ concern
about human rights violations.
On August 24, Gen. John Ukec, Sudanese ambassador to
the U.S., said to an audience of about 100 people at
Metropolitan State University that Darfuris are
responsible for killing each other in the regions.
Ukec rejected claims that there is genocide going in Darfur but blamed the Janjaweed for killing more than 400,000 people and displacing as many two million.
"Janjaweed are Darfuris. It’s Darfuris killing
Darfuris," said Ukec, who is known for his constant denial of the ongoing genocide and reports
of frequent government attacks on Darfuris.
The Khartoum government blames the U.S. and the United
Nations for sanctioning Sudan.
The local Sudanese groups and chapters such as the
Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) are not active
in Minnesota. Sudanese immigrants in Minnesota are
working families. They are preoccupied with their
private lives that prevent them from participating in
extensive campaigns for the people in Darfur and south
Sudan, Solomon explained.
Solomon wants other Sudanese to be aware of the
political environment in Sudan, and maps out what to
do about the increasing child abductions in Liirir and
Darfur. He focuses on young university students to
help raise awareness in a blog he created.
"They [students] will be more familiar with the
situation and the abductions. They can create an impact
since they are here," said Solomon.
"To be active
in campaigns needs a lot of energy, and to be able to
reach out to other communities."
As the situation escalates, Minnesota policymakers have added their voices to stop the carnage in Darfur and the
rampant abductions in Liirir and Bor.
Recently, Congressman Keith Ellison joined 70 of his
colleagues in protesting against the rape and sexual
assaults on women and girls committed by the Sudanese
army and it auxiliary Janjaweed militias. Ellison and
his colleagues want to bring the Darfur genocide to
world attention.
"Those of us who champion the sanctity of civil and
human rights know there is no greater violation of a
woman’s or a girl’s basic human rights than to be
victimized by the heinous crime of rape or sexual
violence," Ellison, a Minneapolis Democrat, said in
a statement released on October 16.
In recent months, Congress passed legislation
condemning the Khartoum government for crimes against
humanity. In a related move on May 23, Minnesota
Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the Sudan divestment
legislation, a bill that will divest Minnesota’s
State Board of Investment from companies that support
the Khartoum government.
"Minnesotans can be proud that we are taking action
to help cut off the flow of money to Sudan’s
military," Pawlenty said in a released statement.
"We’re doing our part to stop the crimes and
inhumanities in Darfur."
In Bor Secondary School, Bor, south Sudan, the student
population has dwindled. The fear of abduction
discourages many parents from sending their children
to school. Few students are attending school because
of security concerns, according to Solomon. In Liirir,
and other towns in Sudan, many schools and classrooms
are almost empty.
Military intelligence officials from the SPLA have to
be present in some village meetings, sometimes with
guns to guard the people. It is very common to see
people in military uniforms during village
meetings, Solomon confirmed.
Similar to Darfur, people in Liirir fear the constant
Murle militias attacks, also supported by the
Sudanese government. They call them "Junior
Janjaweeds." There are widespread reports that ethnic
Murle militias or Junior Janjaweeds frequently rape
women, set the villages ablaze, and beat and abduct
children as young as 18-month-old Ajak.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on April 27
issued an arrest warrant for Janjaweed leader
Ali Kosheib. The ICC charged Kosheib with 51 counts of
crimes against humanity and war crimes, including
rape, murder and persecution. Kosheib was already in
prison in Sudan on unrelated charges at the time of
the ICC warrant, but was suddenly freed by Khartoum.
"Freeing one ICC suspect two weeks after awarding
another suspect a plum government post demonstrates
Khartoum’s blatant disregard for the Security
Council resolution requiring cooperation with the
court," said Richard Dicker, director of Human
Rights Watch’s International Justice Program.
"It is now all the more imperative that council members
raise this with Sudanese officials," he stressed.
Photos: Snapshots of Liilir, south Sudan.
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