KIDNAPPED!!!! I WAS TAKEN!!!!!!!

Yes.

Just when you think you are safe after being evacuated from the war zone, the conflict area. Just when you think things are better, they can become much worse very fast.

Yesterday, Sunday after Mass, at 10:30 AM I decided to exercise. Take a vigorous long walk (3-4 hours) for the first time since I left Ezo. In Ezo about 3 times per week I do so. Every day I take about a 1 hour walk. This helps me to meditate, clean my mind, and think better.

The streets were actually full with mostly women and children walking to and from church. At no point was I alone on the road.

After I crossed a small stream that had some wood covering it as a primitive bridge, a young man of about 18 asks me “Where are you going?” Now please understand that here every day, hundreds of people ask me any place I am walking this question. This is common practice. Even little children every day ask me this. So as per usual I told him, “I am walking.”

“Where?” he asked

“Just for exercise or sport” Funny how since no one except some soccer players do exercise, this is a difficult concept to grasp. But I felt this young man was a little more aggressive as he stood up and walked out into the road to ask me.

I continued walking. Then when I reached this little church, I just felt I should turn around.

But too late….

When I walked past that boy again, another boy who was drunk came out into the road and told me to stop right there. Since he was drunk I kept walking as I was talking telling them that I was going home and was just out walking for ‘sport’.

The first boy runs out into the road and tell me to STOP right there. Or he will arrest me. I asked how he could arrest me if he is not a police. He ran and from behind a tree grabbed a huge army rifle and cocked it pointed at me. 

I tried to get one of the 30 or so women and children walking on the road to help me but NO ONE defended me or told him to let me go. 

Maybe they were all scared. 

Very sad and scary situation when everyone looks away pretending not to see you, when NO ONE defends you, but I understand they are scared of them also.  

So I stopped walking.

He then told me to go and sit down. That I was walking on his territory and he does not know me. I could be a spy.

Oh… so I understood, he is a rebel or Arrow Boy or SSNLM (South Sudanese New Liberation Movement) person.

I explained I am a volunteer doctor working for free in Ezo helping HIS people, his wife, his mother, his daughter, and his sisters. I am with an organization called CMMB. I am a friend to all people and in Ezo have cared for hundreds of Arrow Boy women.

Of course this means nothing to him. He tells me I need to explain all this to his boss. I said fine. 

After 20 minutes his ‘boss’ arrives who also is intoxicated and again same questions, same accusations, then same explanation from me.

He states that I need to go and see his boss in the bush.

I asked him to please have mercy. I am sorry I was on his territory. Call the Arrow Boys in Ezo. I have cared for many of their women. Please let me go, I will never come here again. 

No, get on the motorbike and let us go to the bush to his boss.

So we drove into the bush for at least 45 minutes. 

Very scary as we go deeper and deeper in the bush, 

I started to quietly cry and then he yelled at me not to cry because someone on the road could think he hurt me. So I had to force myself not to cry. 

Not as easy as you would think.

Then we arrive to an area or compound where there were at least 50-75 men each with at least 2-3 rifles around their shoulders.

OH MY GOD!!!!!

In the back hiding in their Tukulos (huts) are some women and children. But they are ignoring me.

I am told to sit down.

I am told that this man in the middle is the Commander.

OK…..

He asks me what he should do with me.

I told him to please forgive me. I did not know it was his territory. Have mercy. I am a volunteer Doctor. I receive no pay. I help all his people in Ezo. I asked him to call his fellow rebels in Ezo to ask them about me. I explained that they all know me and love me.

He asked me why I was walking. I tried to explain for exercise. He does not get the concept. His younger men try to explain for sport, just to exercise. I explain, I am fat and want to reduce. He also does not get this concept and wants to know why I want to reduce. I try to explain for health. I find it so ironic that being fat and NOT doing exercise it more understandable to these people than trying to do exercise and reducing weight.

He states that he does not know who I am and someone needs to verify my identity. I told him let us call CMMB in Yambio. He states he does not know CMMB.  He will not call anyone from CMMB. He does not know or trust them. Who else?

I asked him if he trusts his own Arrow Boys or SSNLM people in Ezo. He said he does. I told him to call them. He apparently has someone do it and they tell him I was in the bush hiding with the Priest, that the priest is my friend.

He asks me if the Priest can verify my identity. Yes he can.

OK call him.

My FREAKING Network is not functioning. Also I have a new phone since my other one was not working and now was stolen from the CMMB compound in Ezo, that has all the phone numbers. On this phone I have 2 Priests number and the Deacon.

He tells me to give him the number. He goes to make the call. As the network is very crappy there in the FREAKING bush, it was difficult to call out.

Meanwhile the spokesperson of their group, the SSNLM (Arrow Boys/rebels) arrives and he is more educated and realizes they need to return me before they have trouble. He tells them from what I can gather that I can NOT go to the Congo with them. Thank God.

Finally the Commander finishes the call and tells me the priest identifies me and confirms all that I have said is true. OK. So let me go, right? NO…

Now he states that if the other tribe or the government sees me leaving they will kill me and blame it on them. So what can we do? Call the priest back and have him send someone to get me.

He states, “When a shirt falls into the river in the water what happens?”

I state, “It becomes wet.”

He states, “Exactly.”

I absolutely do not understand what he is trying to tell me. But later on someone explained that this means I need to help him.

He asks me what I can do for him.

I explain as a Doctor, if there is anyone sick, I can take care of them. I can help any woman here who is pregnant.

He says No, that he wants money and medicine.

I explain that I am from Ezo and had to be evacuated and all my things have been looted (stolen) in Ezo, that even to eat CMMB is the one to feed me.  That even the clothes I have on were donated by one of the midwives in CMMB.

Also for the medicines, if he wants we can go to Ezo and I can get medicines but here in Yambio I do not know even where they keep the medicines at the hospital. I explain I am a missionary. I have NO pay. No money. No medicine here.

Then he asks if I can connect him to the U.S. Embassy so they can help them. He tells me that God allowed me to come here to help them connect to the USA for help.

So I told him that when he releases me and I go back I can try and see what I can do for him. He likes that answer.

Then three hours later at 3:00pm still no one has come to get me. 2 journalists arrive, to interview the SSNLM and hear their demands. The journalist is very curious about me there. I can’t understand anything but he is asking about me.  The Commander explains something to him and starts to laugh. I see that the journalist is not convinced. When the journalist shakes my hand, I do NOT smile and I shake my head NO.

Apparently the Journalist goes back to the town and asks at the Curia (the Bishop’s house) if anyone knows me. They explain that yes and they are trying to come and rescue me. But they are having problems. So they send the motorbike driver (an Arrow Boy) who brought the journalists in the first place out to the bush to get me.

Meanwhile I am still in the bush. It is 4:00 pm and they are getting very anxious about me still being there after 4 hours. They keep saying that if the priests were serious they would have come and get me. They also say that they must leave and go to the Congo and to other places and I am delaying them. Now is the first time I get really anxious because I realize this is how people get shot and killed when the captors get nervous and want to get rid of this “problem” which by the way they created!

Then God had mercy on me and it started to rain. So they were distracted. We waited until the rain stopped. They could not leave either in the rain on motorbikes.

So I suggest we call CMMB. They will send a truck for me. They agree. I call CMMB. They of course immediately answer and say they will come.

Meanwhile the Arrow Boy motorbike guy comes and puts the priest on the phone who tells me to get on the motorbike and leave immediately and not to wait for CMMB to arrive because these people are now wanting to leave the area and wanting to get rid of me.

So I get on the bike and back we come. We go to the Curia. I called CMMB who immediately arrives to get me. But the Arrow Boy motorbike guy wants to take me to the National Security office to verify that I have not been physically harmed by the SSNLM/rebels.

CMMB people tell him, they will take me in the truck. So we go to the National Security Office. The director explained to me, in his opinion, who these SSNLM people are, their etiology, and their goals. He tells me do not make the same mistake again walking, crossing into their territory. That if the peace agreement had not been signed a few days ago I would probably be taken to the Congo, raped, hurt, killed and God only knows what else.

I assure him that I will not make that mistake again.

He says, “You leave now.”

Shakes my hand, and that is it. 

5 hours of my abduction, kidnapping is over. 

One hour of interrogation is over.

Conflict and war means no rest, no security ever. It is always present. 

This morning I called the CMMB program manager to ask if I could come walking to the office from the hotel. He said it was safe to do so. But I felt for the first time ever as a missionary, volunteer, world traveler real anxiety to walk the streets. 

But I made myself do so. 

I must NOT let fear continue to eat at my heart.

It is not over. 

The conflict continues. 

My parish priest in Ezo, Fr. Jacinto is sick, he is STILL in the bush after almost 13 days. The Deacon is still there as well. They are not eating properly. The CHD (County Health Director) of Ezo is bringing him medicine for malaria.

The Rebels are still seeking monetary compensation for me. This morning they came to the CMMB compound asking for money. 

So now I have been told I am NOT to walk anywhere alone. I must take the CMMB vehicle even for the short distance between the compound and the hotel. 

The National Security Office now has me as a possible threat to National Security. Because they can't understand what I was doing out walking. 

All I can say is DAMN exercise!!!!!!

I really do not feel safe here in Yambio. I know this feeling will pass but everyone I see is a possible spy for one side or the other checking up on me. 

I know this is NOT real but after everyone has been telling me this to scare me, I am starting to believe this. 

Thank God I am going to Juba on Wednesday for R&R and then going to Nzara Hospital to be with the Comboni nuns until things “cool down” in Ezo.

CMMB administration here has been so wonderful to me, so supportive and understanding.

Conflict like this between tribes is horrible. It never ends because the hatred never ends.

God please send your peace to South Sudan.

Pray for my Parish priest and the Deacon still in the bush.

Pray for me that my heart becomes peaceful and secure again. 

I miss walking. I miss exercise. 

I never thought I would say that.