When militiamen swept into their villages on horseback in the early 1990s, shooting, burning and raping as they went, tens of thousands of young Sudanese boys were forced to flee for their lives.
They walked for hundreds of miles, many dying on the way of starvation and illness. Others were eaten by lions. But many survived, ending up in refugee camps in the near-desert plains of northern Kenya.
In 2001, nearly 4,000 of the “Lost Boys” were resettled in the United States. On Friday, one of them will have the honour of carrying the U.S. flag at the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Lopez Lomong, who left his home in the southern Sudan in 1991 as a six-year-old boy, is now a successful middle-distance runner. Chosen by his own team mates for the honour, he says Friday will be “the most exciting day ever in my life“.
Lomong left home and lost contact with his parents at the height of Sudan’s civil war between its mainly Arab north and its largely Christian south. It was a devastating conflict, which left around two million people dead.
That conflict is now over, but the Sudanese government continues to arm tribes to do their dirty work, human rights groups say, spreading death and misery in the western region of Darfur.
China, a major investor in Sudan’s oil industry and supplier of arms, stands accused of not doing enough to press Khartoum to end the crisis in Darfur.
Beijing decided to revoke the visa of Olympic gold medallist Joey Cheek this week, who is now an activist for Darfur. But it seems it cannot silence discussion of its role in Sudan.
Lomong’s story is an inspiring one and perhaps U.S. athletes will say that is why they chose him for the honour of carrying the flag. But it could also be interpreted as a political choice, a statement to the governments of Sudan and China.
What do you think? Was it the right choice? Is it a case of crossing the line between sport and politics? If so, does it matter?
PHOTO: Lopez Lomong celebrates winning the 1500 meters at the Reebok Grand Prix athletics meet in New York May 31, 2008. REUTERS/Gary Hershorn
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Of course Lopez Lomong should have been chosen he is an American, plain and simple. an added note regarding this blob, Justin and Vincent are idiots.
- Posted by jja_AmericanHow about picking an Iraqi to carry the flag?
That would expose the murder of 1 million people and the creation of 4 million refugees because of the greed for oil.
Oh, I forgot. It was not China that invaded Iraq but the USA. So, nobody to represent the “Lost Men, Women, and Children of Iraq.”
Heartless hypocrisy.
- Posted by VincentAl-Bashir is an African hero for sure, because you can feel he had became an African hero. Bashir he have been leading his people for a while in a better way. However, Bashir he’d better to build a nuclear plan for his country as well. Because westerns are looking for Oil, so they know how to blame a stable country, then to destroy for Oil purposes like Iraq. Westerns are looking for Oil again, and the only way they are blaming for Bashir is to get Oil from Sudan………..
- Posted by Feisal Mohamed DerieFor those who doubted on America is the true world symbol of harmony, respect, equality for their citizen and that will keep them in power through out …. i don’t see anything wrong with Lomong to carry American flag with American citizen.
- Posted by RubenI don’t think you can separate politics from anything let alone sport. Those who try to separate the two are doing so for the convenience of the moment, perhaps for a diplomatic victory or some other such agenda. The Americans have chosen the Olympic occasion to make their position known without jeopardizing the games. Pres. Bush made a statement condemning the human rights record in China before going to Beijing. Its about making your position known and that should apply to anybody. Lomong is personally a happy man after getting the opportunity to have a meaningful life after the madness in Sudan (and other parts of Africa and the world).
- Posted by Dereck TafumaI believe it is the right thing to do. No one else seems to be doing anything except to study. At the least athletes are trying to do something about.
- Posted by KathyIt’s a great choice. The war in South Sudan is only officially over. There are still clashes, mainly because of the oil. That’s why it is so important to honour a survivor. But at the moment the whole world is looking at the massacres in Dafur, all committed by racist Muslims who were the first ones to enslave black Africans, as the Koran explicitly sanctions slavery. I have a good friend from South Sudan who fled Sudan because “I’m black and I’m a Christian” - his own words. So good luck and all the best to Lopez Lomong. And hope that the Chinese will stop supporting that butcher Bashir.
- Posted by MonikaPerhaps the most hypocritical aspect of this story is that the “militiamen that swept into the villages” were in fact members of the southern Sudanese group the SPLA in search for conscripts/child solidiers to force into battle. But do any of these Holywood-activists-for-a-day want to talk about the fact that most of the so called “Lost Boys”-5000 of them to be exact-fled their own “defenders”; the SPLA? I don’t think so,]; not cinematic enough, since that would require a deeper analysis of Sudan and its problems.
- Posted by Ben Freeman[...] con otros 4000 niños perdidos fue recogido por los EEUU en el 2001 y en estos juegos del 2008 ha sido el portador de la bandera americana. In 2001, nearly 4,000 of the “Lost Boys” were resettled in the United States. On Friday, one of [...]
- Posted by Mi madre que olimpíadas!El que no corre vuela. « NUEVA EUROPA- Nueva Eurabia