Biemnom Survivor

By Chol Makuachlung

This book is not just about what happened to the author and his family in the morning in Biemnom on December 25, 1983, but also to families who were residences of Biemnom and had experienced the same thing. Many people lost their loved ones. Through the period of thirty-five years, everywhere he goes, he meets one of the survivors. In this book, there are interviews with eyewitnesses, elders, and few survivors from that attack.

It talks about the messages from God, but people fail to understand the massage. Before the attack, an old lady called Nyandeng Luol from Twic Gogrial made a song as a warning to people who lived in Biemnom town; it was in Dinka language.(Ruweng dheth ki raap Kuot ate bai aci ngaar ngap chok wen Nyanawetbil, ci mangar wei ki thon jur). It covered about Sultan Kuot Kur’s, the chief of Biemnom, ruling; about groups of Ngok youths in Abyei who joined the movement in 1985; a little bit about Ruweng Biemnom culture; his school; and how my American dreams became true, etc.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9781546270041

Chol Makuachlung

Chol Makuach Dau was born in a small village called Wundgok in South Sudan located at West upper Nile region currently known as Ruweng state. In Biemnom around 1970s, the place has no hospital records and majority of his generation doesnt know their date of birth. They were born at home and the only way people remember things were through a big event. For example, famine or if there is an important thing happened or an important person died. These were the only ways people recalled things. He was born at home with the help of women who had an experience of the child birth. Chol Makuach Dau graduated from Primary School Kennette, St. Augustine Secondary school and Virginia Western Community College. He knows three languages namely Dinka, Arabic and English.

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© 2018 Chol Makuachlung. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/28/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-7005-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-7004-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018914037

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INTRODUCTION

At the beginning and at the end of every situation I have been through, no matter how difficult it was, and especially each time I enter a new year, I always give thanks to the Almighty Fathers who have been guiding me through the year. Sometimes I have felt it was not a good year, but when I think back day by day and how many times I have been right or wrong and how many times I have been happy or sad, I realize every year is a gift. Just as when a parent tells a child, I have a gift for you, I’m always happy and ready to examine new packages. I always open my heart wide the first morning of the year.

I have learned that God has a solution for everything, I have learned that God sends us messages two different ways. One, there was an old lady in my village called Nyandeng Luol. A few months before the event, she made up a song in the Dinka language (Ruweng dheth ki raap Kuot ate bai aci ngaar ngap chok wen Nyanawetbil, ci mangar wei ki thon jur).The translation: "People of Ruweng, take all your crops and belongings and leave." Our Chief Kuot Kur stayed at home, refusing to leave from the tree in his front yard, and thus sacrificed his life to the Arabs.

The night of the attack before my brother, mother, grandmother and I went to sleep, we had an argument because my brother said, I don’t feel safe anymore. We should move tonight to uncle’s.

Do you think there is a place where life has been placed in safety? my grandmother asked. It doesn’t matter where you go; if something going to happen, it will happen no matter wherever you are.

I’m sure there were messages from God, but there was just miscommunication on how to interpret the messages. For sure, I believe God has a reward for each of those people who were in Biemnom, South Sudan on 12/25/1983 and who went through the same situation with different outcomes. It has not been an easy thing for me to forget. For my whole entire life, since that event I been asking myself why innocent people are always victims. Up until now if there are answers, I haven’t found them.

The reason I wrote this book was not only to share my family’s experience that night in Biemnom on December 25, 1983, but other families’ experiences as well. They were also residences of Biemnom. They experienced the same attack, and many people lost their love ones. Over the last three decades, everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve met Biemnom survivors.

In 1987, on my arrival in Khartoum, I was welcomed by Akoul Makol. She lost her husband and her brother-in-law during the attack. Even though it was in Khartoum, it felt like I was in Biemnom because she had been our neighbor just across the road, and I started thinking if what had happened didn’t happen, we might not be here in this place.

In Cairo, I met with another lady whose uncle’s shop was next to my father’s shop. We used to play together every day. She lost her father during the attack The first thing that came to my mind when I saw her, was the picture of her during our time in Biemnom.

In 2003 in Egypt, I met my aunt, Achuiel Kur, who lost her husband, Mahol Arop, in the same attack. Achuiel Kur was the closest person to my mother. They were both from Abyei. Sometimes when my mother went to visit her relatives in Rumameer, Achmiel was the one who watched my siblings and me. The people I have been meeting over the years made me feel there was no way I could forget about this event. The best way was to speak out about it and let the world know what I’ve been through. That night of the attack in Biemnom many people lost their lives and their loved ones, including Kuot Kur, who was the Chief of Ruweng Biemnom.

Throughout my childhood, I never wanted to talk about how my family died, but I was constantly faced with questions. Where is your mother? When I answered that she passed away, some kids were polite and didn’t go further, but some of them wanted to know the truth and how she died. What happened? Was she sick? Those types of questions kept reminding me. Those were the type of nonstop questions I’ve been dealing with for thirty-five years.

Today when I get together with new friends or co-workers, sometimes our conversation leads from one level to another level and I find myself in a position to answer questions about my mother and father. That made me think about writing a book about them and what happened.

More important, I thought this would be the best way to encourage young folks to value their parents. God gave them to be your parents for a reason. It is not easy to grow up without parents.

I lost my mother when I was about seven years old and the last time I saw my father, I was about ten years