The Lost Boys of Sudan

Most of us have heard about the genocide in Darfur, but long before that even began there had been civil war in Sudan for just over 20 years (begining in 1983 until 2005) between the North and the South in which many other genocidal activities took place. Throughout this war it is officially reported that more than 500,000 people were killed but in reality, more than 2 million people in Southern Sudan lost their lives. Millions of others became displaced and lost their homes and their livelihoods. Villages were raided, slaves taken, people tortured and raped, government food rations were poisoned and entire families were wiped out.

Out of this terrible situation came the Lost Boys, a group of roughly 26,000 boys and girls from the ages of about 7 to 17 (although some were as young as 4 years old) who fled from government troops that invaded their villages and joined together in an attempt to survive. Many of the boys were able to escape because they were outside the villages tending to the cattle when raids took place or they were able to escape into the bush before they were captured or killed. Others joined the Lost Boys because they found their entire families had been killed or went missing and they had nowhere else to go, and no other way to survive.

These children were very innovative and worked together to survive, although many died along the way. They faced starvation, disease, attack from wild animals, extreme heat, cold and thirst. Yet many of them survived because they banded together to protect and help one another escape death. Because of their large numbers they divided themselves up into "families" so that each child would have a smaller group to belong to. The older boys would do their best to protect and care for the younger ones and keep track of where they were. They bandaged each others' wounds, shared their little bits of food or muddy water, and dug graves for the little ones who didn't make it. They encouraged each other to keep up with the group and keep walking as they all knew separation would leave them easy prey for lions.

Some of them were also recruited to the SPLA (Sudanese People's Liberation Army) especially if they were tall or if they appeared strong in some way. The SPLA also provided the children with food from time to time when they came across them in the bush or in the desert.  The SPLA represented the people of Southern Sudan and rose out of the necessity to fight against the government from the North who were forcing Sha'ria law on the entire country regardless of their religion or beliefs.  

Together, the boys made the long journey to Ethiopia to a refugee camp where they thought they would have safety.  They were able to remain there peacefully for a period of time.  Unfortunately when the communists overthrew the Ethiopian government in 1991, the boys were forced to leave by force and fled the militia. As the boys attempted to cross the River Gilo many were shot to death, some drowned and others were eaten by crocodiles...thousands lost their lives.

As if their first journey to safety in Ethiopia hadn't been difficult enough, now once again the children left searching for safety.   Those who managed to survive to escape from Ethiopia uder hot pursuit from the militia spent more than a year walking back through Sudan to try and find refuge in Kenya. It took them roughly a year to make the trecherous journey and in the end less than half of the original group survived long enough to make it to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya in 1992.

Now fully grown men (and women), many of the lost boys have come as refugees to Canada, United States, and Australia where they face a whole new set of challenges.  Many are pursuing higher education and trying to work to send money to help others back home.  Because of the current peace agreement ( signed in 2005) in Sudan right now, many of them have been able to return home to try and search for any surviving family members. There are a few documentaries and website listed in the links below that give more insight into the lives of some of the Lost Boys today.