It was an ordinary school morning in December, 2013, when Duer Thok’s life was turned on its head. Soldiers burst into his classroom in Malakal in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State, killing most of his classmates. The 15 year-old was lucky to escape with his life.
The incident was part of a massacre in Malakal that signalled the beginning of a recurring battle for control of the city. One of the most contested sites in the ongoing conflict, Malakal has changed hands on six occasions since. Countless civilians have been killed as a result.
His family and school life brutally disrupted, Duer spent the next 18 months travelling from town to town, searching for his parents. Although he managed to cross into Ethiopia, he could not be registered as a refugee. He is currently living in Pagak, a town on the South Sudan-Ethiopia border. Like hundreds of thousands of other South Sudanese, Duer is now an internally displaced person, forced from his home by the conflict. Unlike refugees, internally displaced people have not crossed international borders, and thus do not have a clear status under international law.
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Talking recently about the last year and a half of his life, Duer spoke about his parents and explained that until he is registered as a refugee, he will be unable to resume his education.
“The fighting broke in the town. I was in school. When the soldiers came, they killed many. I was the only one from my class who made it to UNMISS [Protection of Civilians Camp]. When I ran, I came home, but there was nobody there. [Then] I ran to UNMISS. [I saw] people running and crying. Even the men, they were crying. I was in UNMISS for two months. When Malakal was captured, I left. That was February (2014).”
[Duer took a route walked by many displaced people to avoid soldiers and sites in conflict. From Malakal, he walked to Kanel, from Kanel to Lankien, from Lankien to Walgak, from Walgak to Okobo, and from Okobo he crossed into a transit camp in Ethiopia.]
“I spent two months on the road. I went to the refugee camp from Lech. People were moved to a new camp, but I was told if you had no card you would not be moved to the new camp. So I came back to Pagak to look for my parents.”
[Like many South Sudanese, Duer arrived in Ethiopia at a time when the UN wasn’t there to register refugees. Without a registration card, he was not eligible for transport to a refugee camp, or for food and other supplies. When card-holders were moved to a permanent refugee camp deeper inside Ethiopia, Duer crossed back into South Sudan, ultimately settling in Pagak.]
“What I feel…I was moving alone, without my parents. I was with other people – I didn’t know them before. We grouped ourselves and just moved as a group. It depends [how we found food and water]. Since I am young, I was able to get the fruit off the tree. Because we are a group, when someone gets water we shared. The clothes I am wearing now are what I was wearing to school that day (in January, 2014). I even brought my small school-bag.
“Nobody I know is here (in Pagak). There are a lot of things I miss about home. The important thing is my parents.
“I don’t know when I will be leaving. My plan now is to wait here for my parents, then go to the refugee camp so I can go to school. After I finish school, then I can plan for my life. If I have some money, I can help people financially. If I work for the UN, I can supply food to the people.
“That is why I am going to school, so I can serve my community.”
About Goal: GOAL is providing life-saving and emergency interventions to almost 700,000 beneficiaries in South Sudan, including thousands of internally displaced people. GOAL is also conducting emergency nutrition programming at two refugee camps at Gambella in western Ethiopia, reaching tens of thousands of refugees. For further information, or to donate, please visit www.goalglobal.org.