~ Christian Solidarity International freed another 1500 slaves in Sudan in 2022 ~
Through donations from around the globe as well as partnerships with media personalities such as Kevin McCullough and Eric Metaxas, Christian Solidarity International (CSI) freed another 1500 slaves in Sudan in 2022. Since their efforts began over 25 years ago, CSI has liberated over 100,000 people. CSI Project Manager Franco Majok says his family has been personally affected by the atrocities of slavery.
“I grew up in South Sudan as part of the Dinka tribe so I know this travesty on a personal level,” says Majok. “My niece was kidnapped by Arab militias in the early days of the enslavement and we have yet to find her after many years. CSI’s efforts not only free the slaves but we also feed them and offer them assistance to regain control over their lives.”
Slavery in Sudan was revived in 1983, when the Arab Muslim government of Sudan began using slave raids as a weapon in its war to put down a rebellion against the government’s imposition of Islamic law. The government armed Arab Muslim militia groups, and encouraged them to raid Southern villages, steal their property, and take their women and children as slaves. CSI teams discovered a local network of Africans and Arabs working together to help retrieve some of those abducted into slavery. With CSI’s assistance, this indigenous Underground Railroad grew into a sophisticated network and has been extremely successful.
In Sudan, the government in Khartoum, the United Nations, and the rest of the international community have failed to produce a more effective system for liberating slaves.
CSI provides each slave safe passage back to South Sudan and the local community works to locate relatives of each slave and brings them back to their respective town or village. CSI developed a special aid package to assist survivors of slavery. These “Sacks of Hope” are delivered to each freed Sudanese slave. They contain a tarp for shelter, a cooking pan, a water canister, a mosquito net, a blanket, a handheld sickle, fishing hooks and a ration of sorghum, a local nutrient-rich staple food. Additionally, CSI provides each slave with a dairy goat. Goat milk can be turned into a variety of products that help fight off hunger. They require very little food and supplies to survive. A goat is also used as an entrepreneurial tool that allows freed slaves to sell and trade various products.
Slaves who have returned to South Sudan, quite often require medical assistance with a variety of injuries. Slaves often receive no medical help when in bondage and require a variety of assistance when they reach the south. CSI can provide help for Malaria, eye and respiratory infections, equipment for a medical lab in a larger clinic of the area, send complex cases to a surgery in Kenya. In addition, CSI works to provide comfort and spiritual guidance for each freed slave.
Tens of thousands of Sudanese people remain enslaved and Majok has set a personal goal.
“Freeing slaves is our first step, but we also make sure they have what they need to live and thrive after their captivity is over,” says Majok. “It is my hope and prayer to live to see every South Sudanese slave freed. This is more than just work to me — it is a calling.”
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- International Religious Freedom Summit Spotlights Religious Prisoners of Conscience
- Franklin Graham Says Equality Act Puts Religious Freedom in Jeopardy
- Celebrating Religious Freedom Day 2021 on Jan. 16
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