The Plight of The Sudanese
Sudan Remains Positively Torn from Civil War
A summary of the plight of sudanese children being used as mercenaries.
In a world where many Americans can't imagine going more than a few hours without food, there are children starving every single day. In a world where many Americans can't imagine going a month without precious things such as the Internet, the Sudanese carry everything they own on their backs. In a world where many American children play cops and robbers with pretend guns, Sudanese children kill just to survive another night. There is a wide cultural gap that can no longer be ignored between Africa and the rest of the world.
A video was recently released by a charity called "Invisible Children." The video was made by a group of amateur documentarians, who decided to journey to Africa on a whim. The video chronicles their journey through Sudan and the neighboring countries. On their journey, they encountered heartbreaking poverty and heard heartbreaking stories.
The Sudanese society has been torn to pieces by the Civil War that has ravaged the republic for many years. Sudanese rebels act out against the government. Hundreds of civilians and soldiers have been killed. Now, children have been used as mercenaries. The Sudanese rebels have abducted many children. They are the perfect soldiers.
The children are desensitized to war and suffering by witnessing gruesome murders and being run like dogs. If the children do not do as they are told, they are killed. The situation in Sudan has become so severe, children are afraid to even sleep in their own homes. Families will walk for miles to find a safe place to sleep. Throughout the documentary, children state that if they stay home, the rebels will abduct them. One child, a refugee, even said that he wished he had died when the rebels came.
The video continues with each scene continuing to be more and more devastating. One of the saddest things remains that this movie depicts real life situations. This movie isn't just a story designed to tug at the viewer's heartstrings. This movie is real life.
The Civil War in Sudan began with the first shot fired in 1983. It has been linked to differences between the many diverse people living in Sudan, including Christians, Muslims, Arabs, and Africans. The collapse of industrialization in Sudan has also led to many of the problems that the nation currently faces, such as extreme poverty and an astronomical crime rate. The collapse of industrialization led to exploitation of many natural resources. When the profit from these resources went mainly to Northern elitists in Sudan, conflict was created. This is just one of the many reasons that conflict in Sudan began to escalate. Today, it seems any hope for peace is a fool's hope. In the meantime, thousands are living in fear and dying every day.
One can only hope that the plight of the Sudanese will be broadcast to more than the select few who come across the film. Perhaps soon, the world will come to the aid of these people, as well as conquering new domains for themselves. For more information, visit invisiblechildren.com.
