Okay. Okay, let's go. Okay. Um he's gone. So they came later to the
refugees came later in uh 1988. They don't have the cabin camp were with
one of the biggest, one of the largest refugee camp in the world. I think
it was number four. Number four. What country is that? In with the border
of Sudan and South Sudan? And Ethiopia. Ethiopia. Yeah, they call it
intern refugee camp. It's spelled hi Kia. And okay. I think I've heard of
that one. Okay, so it was one of the largest campus. Okay. A lot of
thousands, millions of people they live there then when you got there, did
you eventually, how did you stop being a child soldier? Did you? Was it
that what happened? That is part of being it's also there because when my
family came, I was already an independent, you know, establish my life
already. I go to school. So when they came they settled themselves in a
small building close to the camp they call it Mhm. I forget the name of it.
It's close to the count, you know. So they settled themselves there and
then I go and beat them. They knew I was there and then I'll come back and
then stay with people. They that we come get we came together and went to
the to the the boot camp together. So we now know each other and then at
that time we go to church too. At the same time we joined the group of the
quiet, then we go to the church and then sometimes we'd be in the army and
then being sure people and being a student you know like it was a very.
Yeah we're just trying to find to define ourselves like what are we
fitting in to require that you know the choir group of a young soldier and
school you know things like that. Yeah So we lived like that until 1989
So 1989 this is when the European government for the under mancuso
calamari so it falls and then a new government out came. So the number of
E. G. Camp was afraid all the people returned back to South Sudan. Did you
have to cross that river? The river. Yes we cross the river because
crossing river is when we when we came when we came as uh south soldier
from their uh to go to cuba when we cross the river and when crossing the
river you know the river is very dangerous you know like they have
crocodiles, they have uh at night too you know you got to be careful
because they're high enough you know they can laugh and then you can you
can hear them love and close to you because they wanted they wanted to
hurt some little kids you know you can hear the lions to its right there
uh and they become so aggressive because they really uh at the the human
body you know like so part of them they had the human body and when they
human body be created they become credit, they want they want to eat more
you know so you can hear them on our way from our village to the refugee
camp. It was terrible. It was made it scared. Was it at nighttime or was
it it was a night time and you could hear them, you could hear them at
night you know like the lion rolling, they rolling like really close and
uh yeah did you did you have for each other when the wind is raining? I
remember one night when it was there was like a small, it was like how do
you call it? You call it a tornado. Yes like monsoon. Yeah yeah so when
there is a tornado uh There was a tornado that night you know it is tried
like around two p.m. And then it went all the way to 11 pm and then when
when when that that its tone you know go down a little bit you know it's
become really dark and then it's raining at that time that night we had
cows, how we were the people get them from the people in the village, you
know the army, they get up, they get them by force by the way you know
because people would call, they never agree what they can be given to the
Saudi. So what they do is they go and say hey we need to take this car for
what now we need to take it because we, we have kids that are starving.
They need, they need food. If you if you try to make noise they're gonna
beat you up. You know they don't shoot you but they beat you up, they
gotta you know torture you and you know put you in and they have trouble.
So you better say okay so we have a couple of cows, they care with us you
know they grab them randomly from the villages from the people and they
bring them so that that day because of the storm and the rain and uh it
was nighttime and then we we settle down you know like not in in the
middle of the village but besides around the hyena and the line they were
really crazy because they need the cops you know and then we didn't think
we didn't think they need a cow, we think maybe they need us,
they were making a lot of noise you know, did you have any guns that you
can protect yourself with these people? They have like I think they have
three gun at that time and we are a huge number of people maybe around you
know 800 people. Yeah we are like a lot of people but they hold it up like
three guns because now they take him out to the camp, a boot camp where we
can get trained and then you know get the gun letter so we were called
like Muskogee Muskogee is like uh like the recruiter Yeah we were just
recruit at that time. So we do not have all of us do not have a gun but
what we do is we uh grab a piece of wood and then we can in with us just
like a gun. You know they just pretending we are carrying out. Okay
So did you ever have to shoot anybody or so you went into battle? So you
probably did right? Yeah when we went to the bottom you know we should you
know we were trying to shoot you know because AK 47 is actually the
primary again that we used Everybody that you will interview will tell you
the AK 47 minutes the actual Megan that we all use you know so we shoot
the gun. I should, I didn't know if I shoot anybody but I should you know
I saw that people, How did you feel? Did you feel I feel, I feel like you
know like we defeat people you know I feel like maybe I shot somebody but
uh I feel bad because somebody sometimes if you go to shoot you know you
lose you lose friends and when you lose friends and you know you know you
were defending the France. Yeah but sometimes you know like uh we go to
war like a group of people like we came here And then you know Brianna
gets maybe two people will go back. So the rate of people have already
gone so now they are your best friend. You know them for a very long time
and then now you get to start building up a friendship with the new person
because you lose your you know you lose your body. That's what it's a
person. You told me you lost a one brother and a sister during the war.
Yeah I lost my older brother. My older brother was lost. You know it was
it was not actually the war but it was you know within the village we have
like a client a plan from a plan you know so a different plant come you
know they came a knife because everybody now had a gun in the in the
village. So it was up tonight with checking to I would check into the boot
camp you know uh he was shot at by somebody and they need that you know he
died right away the same night. Yeah and then my my sister would die
because because of the sickness You know like a nice nice little cost. But
my other brother was also killed. It was he was he was killed recently. It
was like 2013. Okay so when I lost my older brother from the mother and
another mother. Uh huh. Yeah because like I tell you we are alone. Oy and
then we are border with new york with tinker from board and we also
bordered with people from from
uh call it morally you know we are all part of the young ladies States.
You know like it's a plan a plan from a plan because of the cattle issue.
You know the people fighting after cut off. You know That time when the
peace was signed it's also done in 2005. We thought we've got to live in
peace right? But the fighting continued so continue to keep keep
containing. And then now the people from the puma states with the young
state from the guma khan they can they ambushed our tongue. You know I
talked to my brother this is where that you know we have a telephone line
in our code. So I called him. I tell them you know now we have peace in
the country. I don't want to lose you just like we lost our older brothers.
So we want what I want you to do is tell our father with you and go to
Gambella Ethiopia where there is no war until everything is settled down.
So that night you went to the to the camp, you know That camp that you
were, you went to sleep at that night. You know I told him just right here
and feeling right here it was 2013. So when I speak with him we say okay
now I will go to the camp and then collect our cows. And then tomorrow
when I come back, myself and our father, we will go, we will go to their,
we'll go to the to the gamble.
So at that night when he was asleep there there was anguish from a
different client. They were they were, you know, they were in the bushes
somewhere around there. So in the morning then they had on average and
then they fought, they fought and then somebody called me and said that
there is a five fighting good. And then I was awarded with him. You know,
and at that time he was in the fight and get the get killed. And I feel
very sorry. But you were the only person that can take care of my holder.
My older father, my father is very hola tendencies around 1990 years old.
So there is nobody that I that I can think we'll take care of him. But he
was the only person that I talked to. And the first, the only person that
I sent the money to to contribute for the family. So uh keep calling that
day until the next day until people have told me, you know, they can't
find it. And then they went looking for the bodies of the people that get
killed. And then they finally quite thereafter. You know this is when the
hum wish they went back to the village and then you know, I keep telling
my other little brother that I talked to this morning. I tell them now you
don't have to stay there anymore? You better go to Gambella Ethiopia. I
have to pick out of you. Mhm. Bring on my father there and then you know
my my mother to pass at that year, you know in 2013 2 you know you would
like my mother passed like a in february and then this guy, my brother was
killed in in March. It was like Back to back two months, 2 months party.
It was like a heartbreaking news with familiar and the family is your
brother in camp Bella right now. He's in Gambella but I took him to see
what he's going to school, you know, so I support him and send him money
and then you know he had a good school. Well your father still alive or
did he? My father is still alive. That's great. Yeah. That's very good
this morning. Oh good. Yeah. So when you were in the camp and since you
were a child soldier, did you have rations also? Did you have enough food
to eat or the food was not were not that great. Uh all we get with the
beef, we have beans that they bring and they have a milk, like a dry milk
that they brought to uh that one was not housing at that time. Everybody
has like a stomach pain and everything like that. So it was really not
good. I don't even want to think about it. Yeah,
we'll tell you that. How did you, how did you end up coming to the United
States? Did you hear about the program to bring people here or how did
that happen? The process was very long. Like I tell you in a 19 1989, this
is where the Ethiopian government, you know, the old government were
taking control by the level. So the harmony. I mean the beauty camp was
what's afraid? So our people went back to the to my village, my father too
and my my little brother and my mother, they all went back to our old
billy's in our cover. So I did not manage it to go there because now I
went to primary school until 7th grade. So at that time I wanted to go to
school. You know, my father have two cars that he that he kept, you know
the entire car because all of our cars that I told you about, they all got
because of the war. You know we're moving here, we lose one move them, we
lose five. We'll go there. You know and to indiana just with with two and
then you say now with my two cars, I don't have anything to do with it.
Maybe they would they would just go away or somebody will take them. So
what I would do is I will sell them for you to go to school. So we sell
these two cars. You know that was in 1989. And then you know he told me if
you wanted to go to school you can go to school and then I had to buy a
certificate because at that time when when the camp was separated we were
by protect the test A final attack like a national attempt to go to be
promoted to 8th grade. But because of the fight there nobody took the test.
So now uh the Ethiopian government, they restrict people that does not
have a certificate. They have a legal certificate that you have to buy.
You gotta buy it like you know to go to school you get to buy a
certificate. So with my mother my father car money that that I sell. So I
I was able to buy a certificate. So I bought a certificate from a
different random person that I want people to go to school. And then I
went to to school in Canberra and then from Gambella It was 1990, 1990.
Then I flew I went I took a bus from, it was it was really really crazy
too. I was one of the people plus people that go from Gambella to addis
ababa Ethiopia because there was another another tribe. I'm not tried. Mhm.
They were settled in Gambella and they don't want no it like myself or
Goenka from the from the deep South Sudan to go and brought them and go to
school in addis Ababa. So if they catch you, they killed you know they
random they kill people in you know in the middle. So what I did was uh
after I bought my certificate and I enroll in uh one of the school in
Gambella for like two weeks. And then now I heard that you know some
drivers from Gambella they go all the way to Addison bob and then I had a
friend of mine I think now we need a concept you know Kansas can't see.
Yeah he knew uh you know the Ethiopian lands so I hook up with him.