Southern Sudan

WARNING: Explicit Imagery and Colloquial Language

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

The United Nations took the firm position that genocide and slavery were world crimes, and should be eradicated and those engaged in it should be put on trial by the world court in The Hague, (Resolution 260 (111 A), UN General Assembly).

"Widespread Gang-Rape of Boy Slaves by Arab Masters" by Maria Sliwa

(Freedom Now World News: Sudan)

During a recent fact finding trip to Southern Sudan, Freedom Now World News discovered overwhelming evidence that young black, boy slaves are repeatedly gang-raped by their Arab masters. While previous reports on slavery have focused mainly on the gang-rape of female slaves, sociologist and investigative reporter Maria Sliwa received testimony from numerous boy victims of rape.
"This type of sex is very strange to us," said recently redeemed slave Deng Deng. "Many times during rape boys would cry so loudly that the Arabs would stuff rags in their mouths so they could not be heard. I witnessed this often. If you refuse [sex], sometimes they would shoot you." Deng Deng is a Christian who said that as a slave he was often beaten because he would not convert to Islam.
Another recently freed boy slave, Deng Ayuel testified: "I watched the Arabs rape my two sisters and I watched many slave boys being raped as well. They would often take a girl or boy and do whatever they wanted with them sexually. I too was raped many times by my master and his Arab friends."
Perhaps the most graphic account of male rape was given by the freed slave Aleek Mach Deng: "I watched my master Mohammed and four Murahaleen Arabs violently gang-rape a young Dinka slave boy. The boy was screaming and crying a lot. He was bleeding heavily, as he was raped repeatedly. I watched his stomach expand with air with each violent penetration. The boy kept screaming. I was very frightened, and knew I was likely next. Suddenly the boy's screams stopped as he went completely unconscious. My master took him to the hospital. I never saw him again."
Many of the redeemed slaves told Sliwa that in order to avoid rape, male slaves would try to escape but were hunted down like animals by their masters. The punishment for resisting rape is often severe beatings, death or limb amputation.
Sliwa noted that the knowledge of male slave rape is widespread and has come to the attention of community leaders in Southern Sudan. "Many of the freed male slaves come to the chiefs and tell us they were repeatedly raped by their Arab captors," said Nhial Chan Nhial, Paramount Chief of Akon. "This affects their minds badly. They are subject to fits of crying, mental problems and are often unable to marry later on in life." Yet, in the ongoing genocidal Sudanese civil war, most are helpless to do anything.
International law recognizes both slavery and rape in the context of armed conflict as crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia has recently convicted Serbian soldiers for committing these offenses. Freedom Now World News is calling on the U.S. Government to investigate this aspect of the Government of Sudan's declared jihad against the Black Africans of Southern Sudan and press for the establishment of an International Criminal Tribunal for Sudan.

"FAITH UNDER FIRE: Arab masters raping boy slaves" By Mandi Steele
(© 2011 WorldNetDaily.com)

"If you refuse [sex], sometimes they would shoot you"

Adolescent boy slaves in southern Sudan report that their Arab masters routinely rape them, according to Freedom Now World News, which just returned from the embattled African nation.

In an exclusive interview with WorldNetDaily, Maria Sliwa, reporter for Freedom Now and sociologist, discussed the widespread abuse of Sudanese slaves by their Muslim captors.

Sliwa interviewed Denka chiefs, Arabs and former slaves while on a recent "fact-finding trip" in the slave regions of southern Sudan.

"The most marked thing that I noted was the admission of rape by a number of the young boys," she said.

Redeemed slave Deng Ayuel told Sliwa through a Denka translator, "I watched the Arabs rape my two sisters, and I watched many slave boys being raped as well. They would often take a girl or boy and do whatever they wanted with them sexually. I, too, was raped many times by my master and his Arab friends."

There have been previous reports of female slaves being gang raped in Sudan, but Sliwa discovered that many male captives were also being gang raped. She felt it was important to let others know in the hope that slavery in Sudan might eventually end.

"The more this information gets out, the better," she said.

"This type of sex is very strange to us," Deng Deng, another freed slave, testified. "Many times during rape, boys would cry so loudly that the Arabs would stuff rags in their mouths so they could not be heard. I witnessed this often. If you refuse [sex], sometimes they would shoot you." Deng Deng said he was beaten many times because he was a Christian and wouldn't convert to Islam.

The boys described their masters taking them to a "special place" right before a rape would occur, says Sliwa. As they were being taken to this place, the boys would try to escape but would be hunted down like animals, she explains.

The rebels of southern Sudan, a mostly Christian and animist region, are fighting for autonomy from the radical National Islamic Front regime, which aims to impose Islamic law on the entire country. Since 1983, about 2 million people have died from the fighting and war-related famine.

Sliwa described how the National Islamic Front takes slaves, saying, "Sometimes government soldiers attack a town. They want to make it into their town. They want to take it away from the civilians. … Then they take the women and children, and they kill a lot of the elderly."

Those taken are then tied up and forced to walk to "slave centers," says Sliwa, where they are auctioned off or traded to Arab masters. Both the Arabs that capture the civilians and the Arab masters are "quite brutal" to them, she says.

"Not in every single case, but in most cases, they're being victimized and raped by both the captors and the masters and the masters' Arab friends," Sliwa told WND.

Accompanying Christian Solidarity International, to various redemptions in southern Sudan, Sliwa learned how black Denka slaves are freed. Certain Arabs called "retrievers" work with the Denka and CSI to free some of those who have been taken captive. Sliwa says a while back the Denka told the Arab retrievers that to have use of the Denka land to water their cattle, they would have to help free some of the Denka slaves. These retrievers make their money through raising cattle, thus they agreed to help the Denka, she says.

"The retrievers are actually horrified, because they go into these Muslim towns and they see how these women and children are treated," said Sliwa.

"It's very rare for a Muslim to speak out against another Muslim … but these guys were speaking out against them."

From her interviews with Arab retrievers, Sliwa learned that sometimes the slaves have to be bought from their masters, and other times the slaves are so old and disabled that the masters simply give them away. If an Arab is having sex with a female slave, the wife may find out and take the slave to the retrievers herself, she adds.

"The way the wife usually finds out is the slave has an Arab baby," explained Sliwa.

The National Islamic Front has been threatening the Arab retrievers because the government doesn't want them to have anything to do with the Denka, Sliwa says.

"They don't want the Arabs and Denkas being friends," she told WND.

"Many of the freed male slaves come to the chiefs and tell us they were repeatedly raped by their Arab captors," Nhial Chan Nhial, paramount chief of Akon, said to Sliwa. "This affects their minds badly. They are subject to fits of crying, mental problems and are often unable to marry later on in life."

Sliwa is convinced that the International Criminal Tribunal needs to convict the Sudan government for their crimes against the black Africans of southern Sudan and that the U.S. government should investigate the rape and murder offenses being committed. The media outlets also have a responsibility to get the news of these crimes out to the rest of the world, she says.

While noting that there are human-rights groups and different church organizations working to help the people of Sudan, Sliwa said, "I think we can all do more."

1 December 2010: Juba. The Southern Sudan Aids Commission (SSAC) is increasing delivery of services to those affected by HIV and Aids.  The Commission has recently appointed a new Chairperson, Dr Esterina Novello Nyilok, who hopes that more people will take advantage of free HIV testing and treatment programs in the lead-up to World Aids Day on December 1st.

Current infection rates across Southern Sudan are hard to predict due to the difficulty of producing accurate data, however the Ministry of Health estimates that HIV affects approximately 3% of the adult population.  Dr Nyilok insists, “anything above 1% has to be taken seriously.” She acknowledges the “excellent relationship” between the SSAC and their donors and partners.  “The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is the major resource,” along with key partners such as the Multi-Donor Trust Fund, UNICEF, UNFPA and others.

The SSAC was formed in 2006 with the mandate to ensure that “HIV and AIDS transmission is minimised and its impact on families and individuals is reduced,” says the Chairperson. “Our role in the Commission is to recommend strategies to control the spread of the disease.” The SSAC is tasked with mobilising communities to respond to HIV and managing HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment within Southern Sudan.

Dr Nyilok puts the number of HIV-positive people living in Southern Sudan at around 300,000.  “Only three thousand people are currently accessing treatment,” she says. Delivery of treatment is complicated by poor road infrastructure, constraints in the management of treatment sites, and the challenges in transporting medication, often requiring planes to reach remote destinations. “After twenty-one years of war, most of our infrastructure has been destroyed and accessibility to health infrastructure is very low,” says Dr Nyilok. “You have only twenty-five percent of the population accessing health services.”  However, there is good news in terms of the recent arrival of Anti-Retro Viral medication to treat HIV-positive people free of charge, as well as awareness campaigns aimed at the public.

The Southern Sudan Aids Commission remains committed to ensuring a better life for those who are HIV positive. “Our theme for World Aids Day is universal access to treatment and care,” says Dr Nyilok. “Human rights for people living with HIV is fundamental. If they are threatened or discriminated against, it will further the spread of HIV.  These people should be protected.”“Southern Sudan says it will suspend talks with north” by MAGGIE FICK