Roots+of+Refugees+and+thier+relation+to+the+history+of+Sudan

Chelsea J.

Sudan was a country divided into the Arab Muslims of the North, and the Christian Africans of the South. In 1956, after Sudan gained it's independence, the Northerners planned to control Sudan into becoming an Islamic Country. Many Africans in the South did not agree with that of the Northerners which led to a war between the two (IJ). This soon became a civil war that would last over two decades, and affect the Sudanese people for a lifetime. Over time, Northerners began to raid and destroy villages located in the South, killing scores of men. The women and children often faced abuse, rape, kidnapping, and for many young boys, death. This genocide killed over two million people, and left thousands of children to survive on their own without a place to call home (Hecht). Approximately 30,000 to 40,000 children walked for nearly four months before reaching safety in Ethiopia. These children spent four years there in peace,and many learned to speak English and attended Christian churches. In 1991 another civil war broke out in Ethiopia, which forced the children back to Sudan. During the trip back, many children died whether it was from enemy gunfire, wild animals, or dehydration. Once returned, the survivors of the trip hid in the outskirts of Sudan for over a year before arriving to safety in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. In 1992 the refugees were forced to return to Sudan where violence was still occurring. They eventually fled Sudan and returned to Kakuma to freely practice religion. More and more children flee Sudan to live in a better place each day. The refugees of Sudan are trying to make a better life for themselves and experience freedom to live their lives. ( The Lost Boys of Sudan).

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