Lost boys

“I was lighter then,” David laughed. Light enough, fortunately, to be thrown away from the landmine he’d just stepped on. If he’d landed closer things might have been different. His story was extraordinary.

A child soldier at 14 the injuries he’d suffered from the landmine meant he ended up in Uganda. After finishing his secondary education he moved to the Netherlands – alone, knowing no Dutch – at age 17. Six years later he had achieved citizenship and proficiency in the language and had just moved to London.

It was hard to imagine David as a child soldier. He seemed mild mannered, friendly and gentle. He had no obvious sign of having been injured, not even a noticeable limp. We bonded over our shared support of Arsenal and the Chicago Bulls, talking about the player Loul Deng, another South Sudanese boy who had travelled to the West. If David hadn’t told me I never would have imagined he’d spent six months as a teenager fighting in the civil war.

Another guy I met, the same age, had just returned from America. He’d lived there for ten years, graduated from University and held a good job. He spoke with a distinctive accent and was almost as out of place in Juba as I was. However, he had chosen to return to South Sudan in order to make use of the education and skills he had acquired in the US and assist in the rebuilding of his country.

We spoke about the Sudanese Diaspora in the United States. I have heard about the large community in Omaha, Nebraska (and met one person who spoke of a relative in Lincoln, NE) but there are many more spread out across the country. One person I spoke to said he had been to school in North Dakota, the place came up again in another discussion, it was far from the first place I would have expected to find Sudanese refugees. “When there is a wedding or other event people will come from all across the nation,” he told me, when I asked about the unity of the diaspora population.

Many of those who ended up in the United States and Europe are young men, referred to sometimes as Lost Boys of Sudan. In 2001 a program was begun by the United States and the UN to resettle around 3800 boys across at least 38 cities in the United States. Many refugees of course remained in bordering countries – Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia. Those who made it to Europe and America, however, have often been lucky enough to have had a higher education.

“Many came back after the peace agreement,” I was told over a lunch reception. “They expected everything to be ready to go,” the man continued. Many had spent much of their lives in the developed world, they found that when they returned the pace of development was slow, and the government seemed unprepared to take advantage of their skills and education. Apparently many returned to the States after a short while. The different attitudes and expectations of the diaspora community and the South Sudanese in Juba may be a barrier to their return. Undoubtedly many will also find that they have fulfilling lives in their new homes and will have little desire to return.

But for those who do, there is a great deal that they can offer their country. The education, connections and cultural experience they possess could be one of the country’s most valuable assets. Of course, those who remain in the US or Europe also provide a valuable link for the country to the Western world. And whether they have their homes in North Dakota or Central Equatoria, I am sure that all will be united in spirit on the 9th of July to celebrate their Independence.