This is Pretty Intense

As I’ve written many times in this blog, the Sudanese people are generally very friendly and hospitable. However, I was recently introduced to a fairly brutal side of the culture. On our way to and from school every day we drive past a prison. It’s quite a site as there are tanks positioned by the walls and pickup trucks with machine guns mounted in the bed. And there are always a number of armed guards patrolling the area as well. Last Thursday, as we drove past the prison on our way home, there were a lot more guards than normal and some of them were dressed in full riot gear. We weren’t quite sure what was going on and I didn’t think too much about it at the time. Come to find out, six men were hung that afternoon and a crowd gathered to witness the event. These men allegedly killed six policemen in a refugee camp on the outskirts of Khartoum about 2 year ago. Apparently the police came to forcibly move some of the refugees and a riot broke out. In the confusion, six policemen were killed and several people were apprehended under suspicion of murder. Controversy surrounded the trial of these men as many outsiders claimed they admitted to the murders after being tortured. The UN, Amnesty International and several other organizations strongly condemned the executions based on the confessions being made while being tortured. I can only imagine that if I was being tortured I would be likely to admit to just about anything to make it stop. Anyways, the government went ahead with the executions last Thursday and many people came out to watch. It wasn’t exactly a public execution as the hangings occurred inside the prison walls. However, you can see the top of the gallows from the street and apparently you could see the men as they walked to the top of the gallows and were then pushed off, but you couldn’t see the bodies as they hung. We got all of this information today from one of our Sudanese co-workers and it was really quite shocking. I am a strong opponent of the death penalty in general and it is especially troubling when these allegations of torture are involved. While I love the Sudanese people in general, there are some real issues with the government that some of you are probably aware of. I will try to write more about my impressions of the political situation in Sudan but this gives you a glimpse of some of the problems. Anyways, it was especially troubling to know that many people came out to watch these men take their final steps and it certainly clouded my perhaps idealistic vision of the Sudanese. Sorry to write such a disturbing post but no worries, I’m still safe and thoroughly enjoying my experience!