Why are there so many Sudanese people in Australia? part two

Part 2: Sudanese Refugees in Australia

When a nation takes in asylum seekers, they are granted permanent residency visas to ensure that they can remain under their protection for the rest of their lives. Since 2000, Australia has granted permanent residency to 28,275 Sudanese Refugees.

Figure 1: Graph that displays Refugee intake from Sudan or South Sudan since 2000. 

                     (Data provided by immigration Australia)

Year	Amount of people
2000	961
2001	1281
2002	2612
2003	4644
2004	7356
2005	3885
2006	3679
2007	1360
2008	723
2009	732
2010	270
2011	221
2012	184
2013	367

Figure 2: A table which displays the graph data in number form.

Although there were Sudanese people living in Australia before 2000, there was a rapid exodus from the region during the most recent conflict in Darfur. The urgent need to grant asylum to Sudanese Refugees can explain the increase of intake between 2003 and 2006. It was not until the end of 2006 that the number decreased, after the scattered conflicts in Sudan were downgraded from crisis levels following the end of the Darfur insurgency in 2005 and the signing of the Naivasha Agreement (CPA) which ended the North/South civil war.

It is interesting to note that many of the Refugees that came from Sudan during this period would have been already waiting in Refugee camps for many years prior. Most of those who were displaced by the early century conflicts are likely still in Refugee camps, some of which will have moved back home.

To be granted asylum in Australia, Refugees must apply through the UNHCR. This is a lengthy process and can sometimes mean that they need to stay in dangerous locations or within poverty stricken refugee camps for a harmfully long period of time. It is common that Refugees can spend between 5 and 10 years waiting for an accepted application through the UNHCR. Many will never find asylum. After a waiting period, Refugees coming through the UNHCR must gather money to purchase plane tickets to make their way to their country of Asylum. The wait of the refugees relies almost solely on the amount of spots that countries are offering to asylum seekers, and where they choose to take them from.

Who are Refugees?

Refugees are people who meet the criteria of the UN’s 1948 refugee convention, of which Australia is a signatory. This convention was widely accepted into international law to protect those who are fleeing violence. As outlined by the UN, Refugees are non-combatants who are fleeing from violent political, religious or ethnic persecution. These people become refugees when their own Government fails to act as their protector, and is commonly that from which they are fleeing.

Joseph Mangong and James Manut, two Sudanese Refugees living in Australia

I came to know Joseph and Manut through my connections to St Peter’s College. Both have incredible stories to tell about their journey from the conflict stricken Sudan to Australia as Refugees. I was lucky enough to talk to both of them individually and they shared with me some of their story and their thoughts about the Sudanese community in Australia. They both belong to the Dinka tribe, which is the majority tribe in South Sudan. There is a large population of Dinka in Adelaide and they are mostly Catholic. Because they have moved from a vastly different culture and have unique struggles, it is important for Sudanese refugees to stick together. For this reason, it’s common that the community will organise celebrations or mourning ceremonies in community halls. This community is not just a loosely connected network of friends; it is simultaneously a support group, a friendship group and a group of familiar faces for those who may feel homesick. When together, they will do things such as dance, eat, or hold group discussions if there is a particular issue that they need to address.

Joseph Mangong

Born in 1986 in a small town called Tonj (pronounced Toing), Joseph is part of the Abuk Juwiv clan. He grew up unable to have an education due to the crippling effects of the civil war. During the Northern offensive of 1992, Tonj was raided by unknown northerners, most likely Khartoum Government forces or an Islamic militia. This violent raid resulted in the death of Joseph’s father and separation from his Mother and brothers. From this day, the 6 year old Joseph began a journey by foot that involved a trip to Ethiopia and back, then to the Kakuma Refugee camp in Kenya. Although Joseph was with other Refugees on this journey, he was with no one that he knew. Over the course of 1992, he walked approximately 2,600 kilometres. To put that into perspective for Australians, he walked a straight line from Adelaide to Darwin. The terrain that he crossed was sometimes arid, and sometimes thick rainforest. When he arrived in Kenya, he spent the next decade in the Kakuma Refugee camp with a man named Kel Wol, a member of his tribe from Tonj that he managed to find.  It was here that Joseph grew up, gained a basic education through the UNHCR and learned how to speak English. In 2001, he was transferred to a Refugee camp for Southern Sudanese people in Northern Uganda. From here, his application to become a permanent resident in Australia was accepted and in 2003 he moved to Perth.

Since then, Joseph has married Ajor (Kel Wol’s niece), has a 5 year old daughter named Alek who has just commenced primary school at Brahama Lodge, and a younger son named Deng. He works as a groundsman at St Peter’s College alongside Manut, and has miraculously come back into contact with his Mother and Brothers who he was separated from in 1992. None of this would be possible if it weren’t for the UNHCR’s work and Australia’s decision to grant a residency visa.

James Manut

James Manut was born in 1967 in a small village called Agok, in the disputed Abyei region of South Sudan. When he was young, he did not go to school due to the war; instead he was a village farmer. In 1993, his village was raided by northerners and he fled north with his family. It took 6 months for him to travel to Khartoum by foot, a city where he lived for many years with large numbers of other Southern Sudanese refugees. In 200* he travelled to Cairo, Egypt. In both of these places, he was wary of his status as a Christian, and often feared persecution from Muslim people. Cairo is where he made his successful application for residency in Australia, and in 2004 he arrived in Adelaide. Manut has a partner named Akol and a 16 year old daughter named Adut, both still live in South Sudan. He hopes that someday they will be able to come to Australia with him.

Like many communities that have tribal backgrounds, the Sudanese community in Australia has elders that act as guides and leaders. Manut is an elder in Adelaide, and his position was earned through respect and age. His perspective from this position is valuable to understanding the way in which Sudanese refugees are integrating and progressing into Australian society. Manut’s role as an elder is similar to that of our own Australian Indigenous elders; he acts as a role model and as a mediator for those who are in need of wisdom, encouragement or advice in regards to relationship disputes or other family and community issues.

One of the major issues that the Sudanese community has been facing is problems with youth and education. According to Manut, a significant difference between Australia and many African countries is the standard of education. Although this is not surprising to hear, it is striking to notice how much emphasis Manut was putting on its importance. He thinks that as time goes on and the youth of the community stay in school, the issues that they currently face will diminish. Recently across Australia there has been fear of Sudanese gang violence. Although there was a period of violence in recent years, there has since been a progression in the Sudanese community. As Manut puts it, 3 years ago there were many issues with the youth, many of which were leaving school and turning to alcohol. However, there has been a clear change for the better since then. This was important to hear, because it shows that there is not stagnation in the Sudanese community. They are moving forward from the Sudanese conflict and refugee camps, and as Manut put it, “are saving their life”.

Final words: The future of Sudan, South Sudan and the community in Australia

Although the Republic of South Sudan has been free from conflict with the North since 2005, it is not yet at peace. It remains the youngest state in the world and is offering an example for historians and scholars to examine the formation of a new state, and the process by which a nation is built. South Sudan is currently in conflict again, as the SPLA/M is going through leadership quarrels involving current President Salva Kiir (part of the Dinka tribe) and former Vice President Riek Machar (of the Nuer tribe). Both have different visions for the direction that South Sudan should take, and both seek Governmental control due to ethnic tensions between their tribes. This conflict began in December with an attempted coup, and continues on today.

Despite the continuing cycle of violence, both Joseph and Manut are hopeful for the future of South Sudan. That hope is also there for the future of the Australian Sudanese community.  Their hope is sincere and warming and I believe them.

Although most of the violence in Sudan has been towards Black Christians in South Sudan and Darfur, it is easy to forget that Arab Muslims have been victims of the conflict as well. Although the Government of Sudan is Muslim controlled and they have a heavy burden of guilt over atrocities and oppression, many innocent Muslims were swept up in the conflict all the same. It is important to note that this is not a story of good Catholic vs evil Muslim.

As a final point, I would like to thank both Joseph and Manut for agreeing to give me their time and their thoughts. As a young journalist it’s valuable to have the opportunity to speak to people with the experience that they have, and this article would not exist without them. Thank you.