Sudanese offer stories of hope, life, faith in struggle to be free

Published: 2005-05-06

TURALEI, Sudan (CNS) -- During informal conversations, many Sudanese reveal how deeply a two decades-long civil war has touched them. Lino Deng Aller, who said he is about 75 years old, is a member of the Dinka tribe and has lived much of his life in and around Mayen Abun. He explained how he escaped bombings and troops from the North by living in the bush and forest. The holes in the corrugated tin roof of the village church were caused by gunships and shrapnel, he said. Some damage was caused by soldiers, who shot through the roofs, he added. As Aller talked about how his faith sustained him during the war years, he said that of his eight children only six are alive; two of his sons were killed in the war. His oldest son, Mario Malou, who would now be about 37, left in the late 1970s to avoid being forced to join the army. "He wanted to be free ... he went away. I think he is in the United States now; someone told me that is where he went," Aller said.

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