Concordia Magazine

On the Frontlines of Freedom

By Machien Justin Luoi '06

On Jan. 9 of this year, in the early daylight hours, I became a part of history and voted for Southern Sudan to become its own country.

I voted in Ganyliel, Panyijiar County – Unity State, a place I left 24 years ago when civil war arrived to the village. I returned there this year to signify a return of peace and independence to the region.

Ganyliel has much potential. It is situated near the Nile River, a location that sets it up for agricultural development and tourism. Its population is growing. However, like in much of south Sudan, access to basic needs like education, heath care and even clean drinking water is poor. My hope is that an independent country will serve its citizens better than the old Sudan did.

It was in the winter of 1987 that I found myself along with other young children displaced from our homes. I was 4. Later that year, I became a refugee, homeless and caught up in a war between Sudan’s government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, a war that would last for 22 years. I was one of thousands of boys who became known as the Lost Boys of Sudan. Ultimately, I settled in Fargo, N.D., returning to Sudan for the first time in 2007.

International experts and Sudanese nationals labeled the conflict "a war of identities": black Africans vs. Arabs, Christians vs. Muslims, developed north Sudan vs. marginalized south Sudan, slave masters (Arabs) vs. slaves (black Africans), and desert north Sudan vs. the green and swampy south.

By the time a peace agreement was signed in 2005, more than 1 million people had died. Four million others were displaced.

One bright moment: The peace agreement gave Southern Sudan the right to self-determination in 2011.

The internationally supervised and monitored referendum was carried out peacefully. My job with AECOM International Sudan, which strives to help local governments deal with conflict, was not affected by the referendum exercise.

The international community and Sudanese alike were impressed by the exercise, of which its preliminary indicators point toward separation and eventual independence of Southern Sudan from the north. More than 99 percent of Southern Sudanese citizens in Sudan and outside Sudan voted for separation.

During years of war, it was difficult to dream and hope for an independent nation. Life was not easy for any of us – it was neither a good thing to be a refugee, nor was it easy to be a child soldier. It was not easy to travel anywhere, as danger was all over south Sudan. Getting along with people from different tribes, colors, languages and cultural upbringings was as hard as crossing a border to a different country after a serious raid by government troops or Russian military bombers.

My generation learned how to make any environment a home. We survived through war zones and in the jungles of Sudan. We thrived in countries like Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Australia, the United States and the U.K. Now my generation believes that the next frontlines for Southern Sudan will include sustainable peace, schools, teachers and health care. We pray that poverty will disappear.

The time has come to prove to our people that our struggle has been about peace and tranquility for all. The time has come to make education, health care and clean drinking services available. If we do this, we can be one of the best exemplary champions of pluralism, multiculturalism, democracy and dignity in Africa and the world.

Photos: Submitted/Endless Eye

Luoi resides in Bentiu, Unity State, in Southern Sudan, and works as a senior program officer for AECOM International Sudan under the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Sudan Transition and Conflict Mitigation program.

 
One Book at a Time

Southern SudanConcordia faculty and students are rebuilding Southern Sudan by helping to build a library. So far, $120,000 has been raised for the project through PACODES, a nonprofit organization that strives to improve education, health, humanitarian aid and the lifestyle of people in Panyijiar County.

Five faculty members serve on the PACODES board: Dr. Roy Hammerling, Dr. Joan Kopperud, Dr. Mike Bath, Ronald Twedt and Dr. Rick Chapman. A student group, Cobbers for PACODES, also supports the project.

Machien Justin Luoi '06 helped to start the organization after reading "How the Irish Saved Civilization" in Hammerling’s religion class. The resulting discussion spurred an idea to build the first library in the Panyijiar region, where only 1 percent of the population is literate.

A construction contract for the library was signed this spring, Hammerling says. And books are ready to be shipped. Once the library is established, the building will serve as a community center, medical center, school and government center.

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