Gsolomon20’s Weblog

At year’s end, we thank all those who helped us raise the alarm about child abduction in South Sudan, especially Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Norm Coleman, Rep. Tammy Baldwin, and Rep. Keith Ellison. Thank you, South Sudan President Salva Kiir, for meeting with us, and for bringing new leadership to Jonglei state.

Thank you, Amnesty International in London, for raising the case of Yar and Ajak. For the information that will light the way out of this darkness, we are indebted to actors on the ground including the United Nations Mission in Sudan, Save the Children UK, USAID, the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, and the Gurtong Peace Project. The University of Minnesota Human Rights Program sustained this work, especially its director Dr. Barbara Frey.

Our advocacy breathes the air of public awareness-raising, and for that we are grateful to the journalists who covered the campaign, especially Toni Randolph of MPR and Bashe Said of the African News Journal.

A special thanks to Rubén Rosario of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, for writing repeatedly about this campaign; and thank you again today for naming Gabriel and this campaign one of the most moving stories of 2007. Ruben writes:

“The girls’ status remains unknown. But their names, faces and plight have become internationally known because of their very special uncle.“

(Full column: http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_7836030)

We need you all for our next phase of concerted research and advocacy, starting Jan. 10. We’ll call on you again.

–Daniel Lynx Bernard

In a radio interview, the new governor of Jonglei state, Kuol Manyang Juk, said his first priority is to collect illegal weapons in order to improve security in Jonglei:  Link

“The former governor, Brig. Gen. Philip Thon Leek, was relieved from his duties last week over accusations that he was unable to curb cattle raiders and children abduction in the region.”

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article25224 

Our campaign is entering a new phase of determination. We are finalizing a plan to hire up to three part-time researchers who will carry out our work more intensively in the new year.

The solution to child abduction must arise from within Sudan. Our plan would assist those local people and institutions. Our part would be gathering vital information and spreading it to the right places. We would:

• team up with a Sudanese organization and an international organization;
• look at Sudanese institutions, see what they need to protect children, and help them get those resources;
• gather reports of child abductions so we can authoritatively describe the extent of the problem;
• and advocate on behalf of individual abducted children.

We are beginning to seek foundations that would financially support this work. If your organization makes an annual holiday donation, please ask that it consider making a donation to the Save Yar Campaign; see save-yar.org/donate. Thanks.

–Daniel Lynx Bernard

UN halts repatriation because of revenge attacks in Jonglei

Sudanese troops deployed in Jonglei to stop tribal fighting

Gabriel Solomon is speaking to groups of Minnesota educators about the abduction of his nieces and the deeper crisis of child abduction in South Sudan.  They asked him how they — and their students — can help.

Our grateful answer is, please send a handwritten letter to your representative and Senators in Congress.  Ask them to take action to stop child abduction in South Sudan, specifically to:

• Ask the State Department to urge the Government of South Sudan and the Murle community to negotiate for the peaceful release of Yar and Ajak and all abducted children;
• Support USAID funding for South Sudan to increase security and prosperity.

Many thanks to the Minnesota Humanities Center and its Professional Development Programs for Educators for giving Gabriel this opportunity to involve teachers and students in this effort.

-DLB

We have received many reports that violence between Dinka and Murle civilians is flaring in Jonglei state, leaving many dead. Murle people tell us that innocent Murle are being attacked by Dinka angered over the cattle raiding and child abductions attributed to other Murle people. Meanwhile, violent raids continue, attributed to armed Murle groups.

We plead for all parties to cease violence. Don’t match violence with violence. Don’t blame certain people for other people’s crimes just because they share the same ethnicity or tribal identity. We condemn violence against all parties but especially against Murle with no proven connection to abductions.

Anyone who encourages inter-tribal violence, even with their words, is responsible for this backlash. That means you, cyber-diaspora. Anyone who speaks to anyone in South Sudan bears the obligation to direct their words to a peaceful outcome.

At the same we urge all Murle leaders to talk to the armed Murle groups and persuade them to cease raids and abductions. We appeal to Sultan Ismail Konyi in particular. The backlash is wrong, but stopping the initial crimes is the most essential part of stopping the backlash. Any leader who pursues such good works will receive the credit and support that he or she deserves, and we pledge to put the full weight of our campaign behind anyone who seizes that leadership role.

–Daniel Lynx Bernard

Read the sign held by the boy on the left in the photo below, reprinted with permission from the New Sudan Vision (NSV), www.newsudanvision.com, Nov. 28, 2007:

Original caption: Bor primary school students welcoming the first visit of SPLM leader Salva Kiir Mayardit since the end of the war with the signing of CPA, with placards reading, “Kiir Mayardit, stop child abduction for slavery will jeapordize the right of children” Photo: Kuai Biar/New Sudan Vision