Opinion || I Speak To You Not Just As A Fellow Citizen, But As A Witness To Our Shared Struggle

By: Bona Malual Wol Garang

We find ourselves in lands where our skin, our faith, and our poverty are treated as crimes. In Libya, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, the reality is a heavy burden to carry. Many of our brothers are languishing in detention centers for years, deprived of the basic dignity of a full meal or clean water. We face a systemic exclusion—told in a thousand ways that we are not wanted because we are Black, because we are Christian, or simply because we are seeking a life worth living.

For those of us outside the prison walls, life is a constant flight. We run by day and hide by night, our hearts pounding with the fear of being returned just as the shores of Europe come into view. We have seen our friends swallowed by the sea, and we have felt the sting of being turned back after risking everything.

The Weight of the Families We Left Behind:

Why do we endure this? We know the answer. We left South Sudan because we could no longer bear to watch our parents, our siblings, and our children suffer. We left so they might finally have food on the table, clothes on their backs, and a roof that does not leak . Though we call for help, who can help? No one can, but no problem though the nation rage, kingdom rise and fall, we still have hope in our beautiful country South Sudan. Many people see as failed sons and daughters, but later on, we will smile, and will change something in this country.

It is a profound tragedy that many of our elders pass away before they can witness the success of the sons and daughters who sacrificed everything for them. We sleep on the sand and endure the bitter cold so that they might one day sleep in peace. This is not a journey of choice; it is a journey of profound love and desperate necessity.

A Call to the Government of South Sudan

Let this message serve as a formal awakening to the leaders in Juba. Our youth the very backbone of our nation’s future are fleeing by the thousands. More than 5,000 South Sudanese have braved the Mediterranean, and countless more are scattered across the Maghreb, enduring unspeakable hardships. Our nation is losing its strength to the desert and the sea. We did not "quit" our country; we were forced out by circumstances, but our hearts remain rooted in the soil of home.

THE YEAR OF MIGHT AND HOPE

To my fellow South Sudanese in Libya and beyond: Do not let your spirit be broken. The year 2026 stands before us not as another year of sorrow, but as the Year of Hope and Success. Though you are currently treated as outcasts, remember that your value is not defined by those who jail you or those who turn you away. You are the survivors. You are the brave.

"We are not staying down; we are preparing to return mightily."

Stay hopeful. Support one another in these harsh lands. Share your water, share your bread, and keep your faith close to your chest. We are working toward a day when our success will be the comfort our families have prayed for. We are coming back not as victims, but as the builders of a new South Sudan, forged in the fires of this great trial.

Hold your heads high. Your journey is recognized, your suffering is seen, and your breakthrough is coming.

Yours lovingly Brother: Bona Malual Wol Garang

For more, reach me here: Email:bornnermalual@gmail.com

Fb: Bona Wycliffe Wöl

Resident: Libya

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