We have killed your God

From interviews with Darfuri refugees conducted in Chad, by Amnesty International, for its 2004 report “Darfur: Rape as a Weapon of War.”.

I was in Khartoum for many years, but when I found out what happened in my home, I returned to Darfur. On the way, the janjaweed stopped my truck, and we had to give them all our belongings. They kept three people, and we don't know what happened to them. After I arrived at Furo Baranga, I was in a shop when the janjaweed came and took me and another man to a camp, three kilometers to the north. They told me that I am a rebel and that I should shut up. They tied my arms and legs and left me under a tree for five hours. Next they tied my legs to my body, put a stick under my knees, and tied my hands behind my back. They took all my clothes, and I was naked. They hung me upside down from the tree, by the stick under my knees. Then they swung me back and forth. I was beaten with sticks and whips. They left me hanging upside down with another person until morning. For three days they beat us every day, and at night they hung us upside down under the tree. They gave us no food and only a little water. They rubbed pili pili [hot pepper] in our eyes and noses. They put blankets around our heads and tied them very tight. On the fourth day, they told me and another local leader to dig a well for them. While we worked, they poured cold water over our hot bodies but refused to give us water to drink, and sometimes they would fire guns at us. One day they showed me a letter and told me, “This is a letter from our leader. He orders us to kill you.” They put a red cloth around my neck as a sign that I would be killed. Four days later, another janjaweed came and told me, “You with the red cloth, you are chosen to die. If you pay, you can save yourself.” They asked for 200,000 Sudanese pounds. When they let me go, they said, “We are now letting you go, even though our leader said we must kill you. This is only our kindness.”

—A., a male refugee from Magarsa

The janjaweed said during the attack, “You are complicit with the opponents, you are blacks, no black can stay here, and no black can stay in Sudan.” Arab women were accompanying the attackers singing songs in praise of the government and encouraging the attackers. The women said, “The blood of the blacks runs like water. We take their goods and we chase them from our area and our cattle will be in their land. The power belongs to the Arabs, and we will kill you until the end, you blacks. We have killed your God.” They also insulted the women from the village, saying, “You are gorillas, you are black, and you are badly dressed.”

—M., a male village chief from Disa

The janjaweed destroyed the village and took everything. None of us had arms, so we were not able to resist the attack. From me they took one grain mill, one donkey, ten cows, two goats, and the full harvest of groundnut and sorghum. They were young men, and they sang songs of disrespect. They shouted, “We will get rid of the blacks, all of you. We know you are going to Chad. You will not be protected there and you will not be protected in Sudan. You have no place to go now.” When I left, I did not know if my wife and children were alive. I soon realized that nobody cared what happened to us.

Some women were raped. We heard about this, but only those who are not married can talk about it. We believe that nobody can become pregnant when raped, because you cannot have a child from unwanted sex. The women in the camps in Darfur, those whom they rape day and night—they might become pregnant. Then only Allah can help the child to look like the mother. If an Arab child is born, this cannot be accepted.

It is cheap to get married now. You are lucky if you find somebody for your daughter to marry. And the age of the girls is going down—they are very young now. The families are happy to get rid of their daughters, especially in a refugee camp, where there is no control over the girls. Girls are more difficult because you have to take care of their honor, and they are more expensive. For boys you need only soap.

—M., a male refugee from Kenyu

I was looking after goats when I was arrested by the janjaweed. They took me to a camp in Abu Jidad where there were also army soldiers. They asked me where the goats were and beat me when I didn't answer. They tied up my sexual organ with a rope and pulled from both sides each time they asked a question. They beat me several times a day. When I told them where the goats were, they stopped beating me. Eight other children, who were not from my village, received the same treatment. They are still there. As for me, I was able to escape.

—A., a fifteen-year-old boy from Goz Um Bela

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