SUDAN -

On The Slave Trail
22' 28" mins 1999

00.03.00.00
In Southern Sudan there's little food except for that which falls from the sky. It's an aerial lifeline maintained by the UN and humanitarian organisations.

00.03.15.00
12000 tonnes of food is parachuted in every month, to 2 million starving people.

00.03.21.00
There was no harvest last year nor will there be one this year. That's because there were no seeds to sow because they were all eaten. Now the UN is delivering a new supply.

MEN CARRYING SACKS

00.03.36.00
Unless the Southern Sudanese have a chance to grow their own food the cycle of famine will never be broken.
They sing and dance, a thanksgiving for the new opportunity, the delivery offers their hungry families.

00.03.57.00
This aid doesn't always reach the people it's intended for.

00.04.05.00

Soldiers of the SPLA guerillas also get a large share. The Sudan People's Liberation Army will hijack 40% of this food to help them in their war against the Islamic government in the North.

00.04.16.00

For the army, having food to offer is a sure-fire means of recruiting soldiers.

DISPLACED POPULATIONS
00.04.27.00
These half starved people have fled the SPLA's  war zones and have walked for days in a convoy of the
dying to get to this feeding centre in the Bahr El Ghazal region.  They are the displaced of Sudan and there are around 5 million of them.

00.04.44.00
The principal cause of famine here is not drought, but war. As the front-lines of the battles zones shift in annual waves across the countryside ordinary Sudanese have no opportunity to re-establish their lives and grow food. It's a desperate cycle which has so far killed over a million people.

05.01

And with the war comes another ancient scourge, slavery. Sudan is one of the few countries where slavery is still endemic. In the anarchic and war ridden South it's impossible to control it.

pause

PLANE 2
00.05..30
 Eve flys for charity organisations working in South Sudan. Below is the war ravaged Upper Nile, ironically an area bursting with oil and gold deposits.

MAP

It's also the area where the slave caravans pick up their wares, - capturing women and children for sale to the wealthy Arabs of Northern Sudan.

00.05.52
 Today Eve is carrying aid workers to a secret drop deep inside the war zone. It's a six hour flight and it's not unusual for such planes to be fired on from below.

00.06.05.00
Also on board is John Eibner, a member of CSI, Christian Solidarity International,

a Swiss based charity.  He's taken it upon himself to tackle the slavery issue.

00.06.21.00
CSI's aim is to campaign in order to change the situation in the Sudan
and make sure the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is respected
for all citizens. That is our ultimate aim. We're working all over the
world to get these fundamental rights respected - the rights of the
individual, and of mankind. We discovered slavery here in 1995 when we
arrived in this area that had been destroyed by raids. During one of
these raids over 80 people were massacred and over 200 women and
children taken into slavery. We saw this destruction and were also able
to speak to the victims.
PLANE LANDS

00.07.07.00
John Eibner and his team have come to collect evidence of slave trading. The Dinka of the area describe murderous raids from hundreds of rampaging horsemen dressed in white, who stream down from the Islamic North.

00.07.24.00(John at foot of plane)
Huge raids took place from April to June at the same time as military
operations. We were here during this period and could therefore
document and observe these raids. We didn't know at that time where
they were taking the slaves they captured and it was only on our return
in September that we heard some of them had been driven to
concentration camps, although we had no definite proof of this. Later
we met people who had been detained in these camps as well as those who
helped them escape. We had proof, at last, from several sources as to
the situation in these concentration camps.

CONTACTS
00.08.14.00
John wants to secure the release of these slaves and negotiates with a trader who buys slaves back from the rich Arabs to sell to aid workers like John.

00.08.24.00
After a deal is struck the camp prepares to meet the trader the day after tomorrow.

00.08.34.00
We'll meet slaves and traders there. We know 320 slaves have just
arrived with their trader. We will meet them. I think it is an hour
away from here. Later this afternoon there are 2 more groups of slaves we want to see.

00.08.55.00
The meeting is arranged for a secret location deep in the savannah. Secret, because the go-betweens are afraid of government reprisals.

JEEP
00.09.06.00
Because they're heading towards the front line an escort from the SPLA - the Christian rebel army, accompanies them.

00.09.25.00
Despite having a 4 wheel drive, the effects of the rainy season make the roads impassable.

9.37 MUD

After battling with the thick mud they finally give up. The only way John and his team can maintain their rendezvous with the traders is to continue on foot.

00.09.47.00
It takes them 3 hours to get to Warawar - the last stop before John's secret meeting.

00.09.56.00
Warawar is a unique place. Both the Christian Dinkas and the Arabs have surprisingly agreed a fragile sort of peace here.  Reprisals have come from the Islamic government, who are unhappy about the pact, and have bombed here several times.

BURNT VILLAGE
00.10.13.00
These images were taken in June 1997 a few kilometres from Warawar. The village was attacked by horsemen again dressed in white, the Murahilins, sent by the Khartoum regime.

00.10.26.00
The government in the north denies slavery even exists but the reality is they cannot afford to pay their army so  they allow them to live off the spoils of war: cattle and slavery.

00.10.35.00
The villages were pillaged and burned. The churches ransacked and the priests maimed or executed.  The soldiers took the women and children. The men were considered unsuitable for slavery and were executed.

THE COLUMN OF SLAVES
00.11.14.00
The team arrive at the meeting place and a trail of slaves emerge from the bush.  A silent caravan of over 300.  They've been walking for several days. 

00.11.30.00

At the front is Anur, the Arab trader.  He's purchased the slaves from their captors at 50 dollars each.

00.11.42.00
Anur has been buying back slaves for 10 years. Families looking for their children, and who have the money, turn to him. Increasingly, he's retrieving slaves on behalf of John Eibner and Christian Solidarity.

00.11.59.00
It's a controversial practise. Is this man exploiting the spoils of war by trading in human beings, or is he saving their lives?

00.12.06.00
He claims he opposes the Islamic government and takes risks by trading in slaves. Last year he only just escaped death when government forces attacked his home.

00.12.20.00
Their real names are Lual, Rebecca, Akok, Agel. But in the north they were given Arab names.

00.12.29.00
Some of them have even forgotten their native Dinka language,

DINKA SOUNDS
00.12.41.00
Before John can come to an agreement with the trader he has to agree a price for the total number of slaves.

00.12.53.00

Even though the number  higher than anticipated, the trader will free them for the initial price.  Many of these people have endured tremendous suffering during their captivity.

00.13.07.00
Lual: I lived with my parents in a village. One day we heard gunshots and ran away.  My father escaped first with the cattle to shelter them.  There was more gunfire and people were getting killed all around us. We tried to escape but the Arabs caught us. They made us walk in a long column towards the north. Later we caught up with my father who'd been taken away along with the cattle. He didn't have the strength to walk any more so they shot him in front of me.

00.13.48.00
Ahok: I was abducted in May. They made me carry heavy loads. They raped me. I had to do all the housework. They beat me and I had no where to rest or sleep. Often I had to sleep in the kitchen. The master's wife was the kindest to me but he was horrible. He would secretly rape me at night. They gave me very little food, just leftovers. The master made me pregnant with this child I'm holding now.  I spent 3 years in captivity, at the home of the man who bought me - Mohamed Fadul.

00.14.45.00
Agel: If you were captured with a brother or close relative they would automatically separate you. If you refused to work they would beat you and throw you in prison. At the master's home, even if you fell ill you had to work without food and above all without complaining. One day we heard there was someone coming to buy back the slaves. This trader came and talked to our master for a long time, who at first refused to let us go. After lengthy dealings we were finally freed. He paid for us to be set free but I don't know how much."

00.15.28.00
John explains the situation to the freed slaves. I don't know if someone has already explained to you why we are here.  We have been working for a long time to help slaves in the Sudan to return from the north where they are in captivity to their families in Bhar El Ghazal. And we hope that by doing this we can contribute to the abolition of slavery in the Sudan. In a few minutes we are going to talk to the trader Anur and if we manage to come to an agreement you will be free to return home.

ARAB BUSINESSMEN
00.16.16.00
Not every slave can be bought back by charities like CSI.  Often children, because of their usefulness to the government, make negotiations more difficult.

00.16.29.00
Anur:  During the raids the Islamic organisations recruit children to be forcibly enrolled in specialist training camps. From there they're sent to the frontline - to Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan.  We cannot accept this so we free them sometimes at great risk. There are no set prices for these transactions, it's down to the good will of the owner. If he doesn't want to sell we'll bid higher and go up to 20000 or 100000 Sudanese pounds for a slave.

MONEY
00.17.02.00 (close up as he stops speaking)
The transactions take place in secret and are on-the-spot, cash payments. Then we make our way to the safest areas where government representatives will be unable to track us down. However at some stages of the journey to freedom, we are attacked and shot at by soldiers or paramilitaries. During these clashes there are
casualties and often it's the children who are killed.

00.17.55.00
Each of these bundles represent 1000 dollars- the price of liberty for 20 people. 

18.10

Some observers have criticised the bargaining and payment for slaves by charities such as CSI. They say they're making the situation worse and are responsible for the rising number of slave raids.

00.18.35.00
At this moment 328 people are freed and the mood in the camp changes.

00.18.56.00
Freedom, or what's left of it. Some of them, after their ordeals, have lost the will or the ability to live.

00.19.12.00
Alim (handicapped girl): They beat me constantly. The master raped me. He didn't give me enough food and I had nowhere to rest. When night fell the master came with several friends to rape me. I feel bad, really bad, it's certainly because of the cruelty and ill treatment. They tried to poison me several times. I don't have the courage to carry on living. I feel dishonoured.

00.20.03.00
John, with child that has lost an eye: This child was captured during a raid 2 or 3 years ago. On the way north he was first tied to a horse, then made to walk. Because he was little he couldn't walk fast enough to keep up with the group. One of the soldiers took a stick and hit him. And you can see for yourself his injuries - he lost an eye. The other soldiers encouraged his tormentor to beat him to death. The child made it to the north to be sold as a domestic slave. His master made him go to a Koranic  school. He was abused in numerous ways. He was beaten. One day at school he was asked to give water to the horses. As he didn't do a very good job the teachers chained his feet. For two days he had to hop to get around. Today his legs still bear the scars from the chains. He is particularly traumatised. On the one hand he is happy to be back here, and free, and he's very grateful to the Arab trader for what he has done for him. He is now impatiently waiting to see his family again. ON the other hand he is still affected by the bad memories of his captivity. He's afraid they'll come back and abduct him again.

00.21.37.00
For the Dinka these liberations are also seen as victories over their oppressors. As if to defy their enemies and show their bravery the warriors sing until dusk.

AREK PRESENTATION
00.22.02.00
But many former slaves will find it hard to trace their families who've been decimated at the hands of the Islamic army.  At best their relatives will be scattered across the region. Many of those slaves returning will discover their family members are dead.

00.22.16.00
Arek is lucky. As one of the returning slaves she's finally been reunited with her sister.

00.22.28.00
My sister heard I might be among the slaves who'd just been freed and she came to find out.  She saw I was among the women and men who'd just arrived. She recognised me from a distance and threw herself into my arms crying "My God; it's so wonderful that you're alive!

00.22.54.00 (sister of Arek)
Now she's back I am very happy. I was sure she was dead. It was amazing to find her like that, just by chance. Now my biggest problem is her illness is getting worse especially now with the famine.

00.23.12.00
Little by little life in the village returns to normal.

00.23.21.00
After 2 years of anguish a mother sees her children again. For her it's a miracle, a priceless gift from heaven, in spite of everything her two boys have suffered.

00.23.33.00
Deng: In the master's house I ate leftovers and slept in the cowshed. Every day it was the same. They forced me to go to the Mosque and made me pray. They were really horrible - if I refused I was beaten and punished.

00.23.48.00
Mother of Alek and Deng: I'm very happy - even though my children have come back with wounds and scars. The most important thing is that they're alive. I was so unhappy when they were abducted. Having them alive
beside me. I'm as happy as only a mother can be.

00.24.09.00
Aluk (child who was chained): These wounds on my legs are from the chains. One day as I was looking after the horses when one of them ran away. When the master saw he beat me very hard and put chains on my feet. I
wore them for 2 years.
 
00.24.37.00
No one knows how many more slaves still remain in the north? According to Arab merchants and humanitarian organisations there could be tens of thousands.

00.24.59.00
Shortly after talking to us, Aluk, the child whose legs had been mutilated by chains, got up and with an old bicycle wheel did something he hadn't been able to do for 2 years - he played.

ENDS AT 00.25.28.00

A film by Jean-Michel Destang and Olivier W