Talking to Sudanese refugee families tonight, I heard stories of the kind of pressures these people are under, not only in their own nation, but in refugee camps in Egypt.
The mainly Islamic North is gradually advancing into Christian held areas, and pushing the mainly Christian Dinka tribe of the South as far out of their lands as they can. If Sudanese Christians convert to Islam they will receive houses, food, education and clothing on a par with other Muslims. If they won't convert, they receive nothing. If they remain Christians they are called 'Jews', which of course opens them up to be greatly despised by Muslims, who are taught to hate Israelis.
The Dinkas are devout Christians. They refuse to change, but they have very few allies prepared to stand up for them in a war-torn land under the grips of famine fraught with dangers. The UN has refused to call their terrorisation 'genocide', because once the 'g' word is used they are under an obligation to act, but for some reason the world is standing still on this issue while the Dinka continue to suffer. They are forced into a nomadic existence, driven across hostile borders, and treated as nobodies by a regime which wants them gone, one way or another.
Those who reach Egypt as refugees are now telling stories of mysterious disappearances and seemingly healthy people suddenly dying and having their body parts stolen and sold. Those who have died are often kept in freezers until relatives, usually refugees who have arrived in other lands, can buy them out. They are herded into camps, where the financial support they receive from the UN is being usurped by Egyptian officials.
The Australian Government needs to do all they can to rescue as many of these persecuted people as possible. They are proving to be good citizens in Australia. If we help them now, there may be hope in the future for Sudan, particularly if there is a regime change.
2 comments:
I studied law with a Sudanese Dinka woman. She struck me as one of the most gifted and articulate people I have ever known. Her personal suffering had caused her to abandon religious faith, but her parents remained deeply Christian, and very proud of her. I'll never forget the comment she made to a seminar on international humanitarian law (I was in the audience):
'When Hitler killed the Jews, it was white people killing white people. Now brown people are killing brown people, while others make excuses'.
I have never forgotten that.
Thanks, skepticlawyer. I have recently heard that some Christian aid agencies are able to provide some releif for Sudanese in the south and they are being greatly encouraged. The sooner the stronger nations in the world decide that more has to be done to protect all innocent victims in Sudan, the sooner we can bring justice to the nation.
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