Update on missing Sudanese Student
June 3rd, 2009 by Peggy in MiscellaneousSome months ago, we reported to you about the abduction of a young girl from the Loka Senior Secondary School in Southern Sudan. On June 3rd, we received the following update from Tom Zurowski, Director of Global Response Network:
Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), has been responsible for tens of thousands of child abductions. His child soldiers rape, mutilate, and kill countless innocent people each year (some estimate that he is responsible for upward of 1,000 deaths per month). Kony ranks second on the international Criminal Court’s “Most Wanted” list, next to Omar Hassan Al-Bashir of Sudan. His troops travel between Uganda, Congo, and southern Sudan. Recently the LRA has ramped up their efforts with the hopes of strengthening their forces. The Ugandan government has been aggressively pursuing Kony and his soldiers and have been successful at stamping out many of them.
Last year, Kony’s men abducted one of the girls from The Loka Senior Secondary School (a GRN project in southern Sudan). Her name is Mercy (Name changed to protect her identity). We have not heard from Mercy since she was taken. Many of you have prayed for Mercy and I want to thank you for that.
On my last trip to Sudan, while interviewing another girl (Grace) who had been abducted by the LRA, we found out what happened to Mercy. We were told that she is now one of Joseph Kony’s personal wives (he has 42). Grace explained that she travels with Kony personally and that he likes her very much. We were also informed that he will keep her close until she produces a child for him. It is unknown how many times Mercy has been raped by Joseph Kony and how long he will keep her if she doesn’t bear a child for him.
I would like to ask you to please join me today in praying for Mercy. It is with a broken heart that I write this post, but I know that prayer has a way of changing things that we cannot. Grace told us that Mercy prays under her breath for God to help her escape. Let’s pray that her prayers will be answered soon.