First Impressions: Saturday, 14 June 2008: Visit to Hiyala

I travelled this morning to the village of Hiyala.


Hiyala is where a large number of women and children, affected by inter-village fighting last week, have taken refuge. Their villages of Oguru and Elole have been in ongoing conflict over cattle rustling. The conflict became tragic just over a week ago when Southern Sudanese army troops (formerly members of the SPLA - Sudanese People's Liberation Army) approached Oguru at night to disarm the villagers. Apparently thinking that it was their enemy coming to attack, the villagers opened fire on the troops, killing 8 soldiers. The soldiers retaliated, and the end result was 3 additional deaths (including an unarmed woman and her child) in each of the communities, and the burning of both villages by the troops. The men fled into the surrounding forests and mountains, and the women and children – having lost everything - sought refuge among relatives in Hiyala. It's not hard to understand how such a situation verges on becoming an even greater crisis.


The local Catholic Diocese of Torit is responding to the situation by trying to restore peace and solicit aid for those affected. I travelled to Hiyala today with Fr. Jacob - acting vicar general and native of Hiyala, and Fr. Martin - pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Torit which is collecting supplies for those affected.

There is evidence of the war all over the village, from the tank in the center of town, to anti-aircraft weapons, to unexploded shells. It was a site held for a while by the northern troops, and a place from which many young men joined the SPLA - Sudanese People's Liberation Army.






When we arrived, I was very pleasantly surprised to find young Italians serving with AVSI - the volunteer arm of Communion and Liberation, which is present and active (previously unbeknownst to me) in the Diocese of Torit, distributing needed household supplies (mosquito nets, plastic sheeting, water containers, cooking materials, etc.) to the women and children of both affected villages. I mentioned my involvement with CL in New York and Honduras, which immediately created a common bond. It was a very encouraging sign of the Lord's presence and guidance for me.








Later in the day we visited the home of Fr. Jacob's sister, where we had lunch. It was a fascinating look at a slice of life in a Sudanese village for me. We ate inside the family hut, and I had the chance to ask all kinds of questions about village life and customs. We also walked through the village and greeted a lot of people. We came across some women selling "sorgum brew," a low-acoholic kind of beer (shown in one of the photos). I mentioned that my family back in the USA brews beer, which made the women laugh. I declined a taste of the brew, mostly due to the fact that I wasn't sure I could trust the water from which it was made, and didn't want to risk spending my remaining days here between my bed and the outhouse.