Christian Solidarity International’s partnership with Eric Metaxas radio show frees 800 Sudan slaves

Christian Solidarity International (CSI) announced that their partnership with the Eric Metaxas radio show during December generated enough donations to free another 800 slaves in the Sudan. For 2021, CSI liberated over 1500 Sudanese slaves after years spent in bondage. 

Those rescued from slavery by CSI receive survival kits to help them rebuild their lives. Supplies include a goat, 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. They also receive medical treatment, most commonly for the symptoms of malaria and lung infections.

Abour Boi Akec, 40, spent more than 20 years as a slave in Sudan looking after her master’s animals after being abducted by Arab traders from her village of Aroyo. For two decades she endured rape and other forms of abuse. When she was finally freed, she could not believe it.

“One day, [the slave retriever] Osman Bashir came to the cattle camp and talked to my master. After a long discussion, I was allowed to be with Osman Bashir. I thought I had been sold to a different master!” she said.

Deng Khor Thuc, 55, was held in slavery in North Sudan for 24 years. He also worked on a cattle ranch where he was beaten and insulted on a regular basis. When he fell sick, he received no treatment.

“I thank people from the US and Europe who helped secure my freedom. I would not be here today as a free man without the support they gave us,” said Deng. “I will look for my people here in South Sudan. I will farm to support myself. South Sudan is my home and no one will beat me or insult me again.”

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 Southern 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. Tens of thousands of people were captured and enslaved.

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 that has managed to free over 100,000 people. It is estimated that over 35,000 people remain enslaved.

Founded over 40 years ago, CSI is an international Christian human rights organization, campaigning for religious liberty and human dignity, and assisting victims of religious persecution, victimized children and victims of catastrophe. CSI delivers emergency food assistance, medical treatment, and other lifesaving aid to victims of religious persecution and natural disasters in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Nigeria, South Sudan, Pakistan, and other hotspots around the globe. CSI is currently the only organization working to liberate Christians and other South Sudanese forced into slavery by government-backed forces during the Sudanese civil war. For more information visit https://csi-usa.org.