A Sudanese student's problem stirs U class to action

A University of Minnesota human rights class is working to free the abducted Sudanese nieces of one of their classmates, himself a victim of the country's strife.

By Nina Petersen-perlman, Star Tribune

Last update: November 8, 2007 - 8:12 PM

Gabriel Solomon was one of the thousands of "Lost Boys of Sudan." As a 6-year-old, he was torn from his family and forced to be a soldier in the country's civil war. Now 27, Solomon is enrolled as a graduate student in the University of Minnesota's Human Rights Program, trying to turn his experience into something positive.

On Oct. 12, Solomon received a phone call informing him that two of his nieces had been abducted from their parents' home in South Sudan, reportedly the work of the Murle tribe. His nieces aren't alone: the United Nations reported in August that the same tribe may be responsible for nearly 40 child abductions in the last year.

The plight of 3-year-old Yar and 18-month-old Ajak has spurred Solomon and his classmates to action. He traveled to Washington, D.C., with three fellow graduate students and on Thursday appealed to members of the Minnesota congressional delegation for help.

"It isn't just about my nieces," Solomon said. "It's about addressing the issue to make the situation stop."

Sens. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, and Norm Coleman, a Republican, signed a letter requesting a meeting between the students and South Sudan President Salva Kiir, who is in Washington this week at the invitation of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"I was deeply saddened to learn about Yar and Ajak," Klobuchar said. "I hope officials in South Sudan will do everything they can to locate these girls and prevent similar abductions from happening in the future."

The students also met with staff from Reps. Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison, both Democrats. Ellison's chief of staff called the State Department to register his concern, and his office is talking to other members of Congress to see what action they can all take, said spokesman Rick Jauert.

The campaign to help Solomon's nieces has turned into a class project, said Barbara Frey, who teaches his human rights advocacy course, in which students regularly take on an issue as a case study.

"None of the students wants to work on anything but this case," said Frey, who is director of the Human Rights Program at the U. "They're spending every waking hour that they can working on this project. It's complete and total energy."

The level of response the students have received from state and local government officials, non-governmental organizations in Sudan and the United Nations has kept them energized, Frey said.

"Not only are they feeling empathetic about the case but they are also seeing results from their actions," she said.

"We have the resources nationally and internationally to exert external pressure and make a difference," Solomon said.

Nina Petersen-Perlman • 202-408-2723

Nina Petersen-perlman • nperlman@startribune.com

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