They Poured Fire On Us From The Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan

The history of civil strife in Sudan can be traced to its colonial history. Between 1899 and 1956, Sudan was jointly administered by both the British and the Egyptians. This created a divide between the Arab-Muslim north and the Christian and animist south in Sudan’s post-independence era, as the two sides tussled for power and resources. The First Sudanese Civil War, which commenced in 1955, was halted by the signing of the Addis Ababa Agreement in 1972. However, peace disintegrated once again when the Sudanese government established Sharia law throughout Sudan in 1983. The Dinka and Nuer tribes in the south refused to convert to Islam, setting off the Second Sudanese Civil War.

The conflict was further fueled by a struggle for power and resource allocation. The southern region of Sudan was rich in natural resources, but the population there was continually marginalized and underrepresented in the national government (“Sudan Civil War: A Deep Dive Into History and Implications.” Sudanese American Physicians Association). These differences led to discontent, with the southerners carrying out an armed uprising and forming the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). The violent civil war spanned two decades: Tens of thousands of civilians lost their lives, and similar numbers were displaced, migrating to refugee camps in the neighboring countries of Kenya and Ethiopia (“The Civil War.” Human Rights Watch).

Among the displaced refugees were the “Lost Boys” of Sudan. An estimated 20,000 young boys fled the conflict in Sudan, walking for thousands of miles in dire conditions and suffering hunger, dehydration, exhaustion, and wild animal attacks. They walked first to Ethiopia and then again to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya when war in Ethiopia drove them out; large numbers perished along the way (“The Lost Boys of Sudan.” International Rescue Committee). Much of They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky details Benjamin, Benson, and Alepho’s time moving from one camp to another; Benjamin and Benson were among the boys who were forced to flee Ethiopia and returned to Sudan before setting out for Kenya again. When the war in Sudan showed no signs of abatement, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees recommended that the Lost Boys be resettled in the US. Thus began the process of moving approximately 3,600 of the Lost Boys of Sudan to America.

In 2005, a peace agreement was signed between Sudan’s north and south, bringing a tentative peace to the country. This is the year that the book was published, and the Epilogue explains how the country’s improved situation meant that the resettlement of refugees from Kakuma was deprioritized. Thus, some of the Lost Boys—such as Peter and Emmanuel—never got to emigrate.