From i-Abolish:
"It is a sad irony," said Dr. Charles Jacobs, AASG President. "It was, after all, the enslavement of African villagers that animated and bolstered much of the rebellion in South Sudan. "And it was reports of modern day human bondage in Africa's largest country that awoke Americans to the tragedy in Sudan."
"For over five decades the region's black Africans were oppressed, slaughtered and enslaved by the Northern rulers who aimed to destroy their cultural and ethnic identity," Jacobs said.
The Southern rebellion against the Northern domination lasted half a century -- from 1955 until 2005, with only an eleven year break between 1972 and 1983. In the brutal campaign to Arabize and Islamize the African Christian/traditionalist South, the leaders of the Arab Muslim North killed almost 3 million and ethnically cleansed 4 million more (nearly 80% of the population.)
"Slave raids were the terror weapon of choice of the Islamist regime in Khartoum," Jacobs said.
"The classification of the conflict as a "holy war" -- a jihad against the Christian South and its allies in the Nuba Mountains - legitimized in the eyes of many Northern Muslims the revival of the centuries-old practice of taking slaves as war booty."
In slave raids on Southern villages, conducted by government-backed Arab militias known as murahaleen, estimated hundreds of thousands of blacks, mostly women and children, were captured, transported to the North and enslaved.
Interestingly, Christian missionaries for centuries have worked to free those enslaved by the Muslims. One order in particular, the Mercedarians, was created specifically for that purpose:
The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, founded in 1218, is an international community of priests and brothers, who live a life of prayer and communal fraternity based on the Rule of Saint Augustine and the Constitutions of the Order.
After they had been elected by the authorities of the Order, the redeemers, that is to say, those friars who had been assigned to go to Moorish territories, had to obtain the necessary authorizations from civil authorities (safe-conduct, permissions, etc.); they had to announce the redemption to the people, collect alms, prepare the expedition and also prepare a banner which they would take along hoisted on the ship. The image of the Crucified or Christ’s descent into limbo was painted on one part of this redemption banner, and on the other, an image of the Virgin Mary who protects captives with her mantle. They were also to take the shields of the ruling Pontiff, of the king of Spain and of the Order. The redeemers’ departure was preceded by a liturgical ceremony with the entire religious community attending. During the ceremony, the provincial would give the sending off order, recommending faithful observance of the constitutional provisions about redemption.
During the entire redemption time, that is to say, from departure to return, religious communities of friars and nuns accompanied redeemers in the daily recitation of redemption litanies with psalms and prayers for the success of the friars’ mission in Moorish lands.
After completing the redemption, the redeemers, along with the redeemed, would start out the return voyage and informed the superior of their return. The superior had to notify the bishop of the redeemers’ arrival and agree on the welcome of the redeemed with the bishop. Once a day was set, a procession was organized in which all diocesan and religious clergy of the city participated. The redemption banner headed the procession, followed by redeemed captives wearing the Mercedarian scapular and redeemers at the end. Singing hymns, they all headed to the main church or the cathedral where the redeemed were welcomed by the bishop. They sang a Te Deum of thanksgiving and celebrated the Mass of the Virgin of Mercy. During the Mass, after the Gospel, one of the redeemers or another Mercedarian religious gave the talk telling people about the details of the redemption and of the sacrifices endured. Then, the redeemed were lodged in houses of the Order until, according to the circumstances, their dismissal and reinsertion into their own families were organized.
For videos on the Order today and information on its foundation, go here.