They Poured Fire on us From the Sky

Benjamin, Benson, and Alepho are examples of people who were affected by the fighting in Sudan. These are characters in the novel They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky, which tells of the trials of the Sudanese people. Benson and Benjamin had to flee from their homeland and go to Ethiopia, while Alepho stayed in his own village and faced hardships there. Benson and Benjamin had to walk for three months through the desert, and although for part of the time they were protected by the SPLA, this rebel army was still not very kind to the boys. At one time in the story, Benson was kicked off the water truck (which he was riding with the other young boys) because he had fallen asleep by the engine to stay warm. Even the forces that were supposed to be kind to the people were occasionally hostile. This book also gives an example of a young girl who had been raped by a Janjaweed soldier and her body had been broken by it. The war affects so many people in such a variety of different ways, but Alepho acknowledges, "From wat [he] could see, men or women, children or adults, young or aged, rich or poor, war was making everyone equal." (123 Alephonsian Deng). The civil war in Sudan is being fought without any rules of morals. There is no limit to the killing. Much of the conflict is a battle for control of resources in the South, although there is no one in Sudan who seems capable of utilizing these natural resources (oil is an example of a resource that is abundant in Sudan). Sudan must develop a more diverse economic base in order to survive and help this conflict because people are relying on the agricultural resources but these are very fragile due to drought and famine. Most of the countries surrounding Sudan have their own political problems and therefore are not in the position to intervene and assist the country. Due to the size of Sudan, this country has become a base for guerrillas and terrorists. Osama bin Laden had set up his operations in Sudan before he was kicked out and relocated in Afghanistan. There has been increased international concern for the people in the western Darfur region, but I think other countries should be concerned for Sudan as a whole because they have had fighting in their country for over twenty years and the root of this problem is still the same. Someone or something needs to take action so this civil war does not continue, get worse, or evolve into genocide.

(People dying in Darfur).

Sources:

They Poured fire on Us from the Sky

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-05-01-darfur_x.htm

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/sudan-political-groups.htm

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/genocide_in_sudan/

www.people.hbs.edu/talsalaam/Political%20Documents/Sudan-CivilWarGenocide.doc -

http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/sudan_genocide_genocide_in_sudan_1.jpg