Wei Bilong War Distaem
DATFALA refugee camp wea olketa kwiktaem wakem hem for 1,548 refugee wea seknomoa arrive from wanfala neiba kantri long Africa. Olketa tent wea color blue and brown standap long wanfala klia ples midolwan long olketa palm tree. No eni electric or bed, and no eni tap wata or toilet. Hem rain tu. Olketa refugee iusim olketa stik for digim smol drain mekem wata no kam insaed olketa tent. Tufala relief organization from nara kantri waka hard for mekem living kamap moabeta.
Olketa refugee hia bin go insaed wanfala barava olo boat for ranawe from war wea go ahed insaed kantri bilong olketa for planti year finis. Olketa wea faet insaed datfala war no iusim tank or aeroplane for dropim bomb. Hem start taem samting olsem 150 soldia wea iusim olketa hae-paoa gun go insaed long datfala kantri. Long olketa year bihaen, olketa soldia hia tekova long evri vilij, askem selen from pipol, tekem moa soldia, and killim dae eniwan wea againstim olketa. Gogo olketa tekovarem full kantri.
Wanfala refugee long datfala camp hem young woman wea nem bilong hem Esther. “Barava worse samting wea happen long laef bilong mi nao taem hasband bilong mi dae insaed disfala war,” hem sei. “Olketa sutim hem. Evriwan nao fraet. Taem iu herem samwan singaot, iu ting samwan hem kam for killim iu dae. Taem iu lukim eniwan witim gun, iu ting hem bae killim iu dae. Mi nating feel free. Long hia nomoa mi sleep long naet. Long hom, mi no savve sleep. Long hia mi sleep olsem wanfala baby.”
“Nomata insaed olketa tent hia wea tuwet?” man wea raet for Wekap! hem ask.
Esther hem laf. “Nomata sapos mi mas sleep insaed disfala mud, mi bae sleep moabeta winim long ples wea mi kam from.”
Ambrose, wea hem ten year, hem iusim big haf long laef bilong hem for ranawe witim famili bilong hem from olketa area wea war go ahed. “Mi laek for lukim peace and go bak long skul,” hem talem. “From distaem mi big nao.”
Kpana, wea hem naen year, hem garem barava naes brown eye. Taem olketa askem hem wanem nao hem savve remember from taem hem barava smol, hem ansa olsem: “War! Faet!”
Kaen war wea olketa pipol hia ranawe from hem big tumas insaed olketa year wea just go pas. Wanfala report sei long 49 bigfala faet wea go ahed start kam long 1990, 46 long olketa nao pipol iusim hae-paoa gun nomoa. Long wei wea difren from sword or spia, wea man needim savve and strong for iusim long faet, olketa smol gun mekem pipol wea no garem savve and pipol wea garem savve for faet insaed olketa war.a Planti taem pipol iusim olketa teenager and pikinini and forcem olketa for steal, givim kill, and kill-kill.
Planti long olketa raoa hia no kamap midolwan difren kantri, bat insaed olketa kantri. Pipol wea faet hem no olketa soldia wea kasem training, bat planti taem hem olketa pipol wea no insaed army wea stap long olketa taon and vilij. Bikos pipol wea no train long army nao faet, olketa no hol bak for brekem olketa law bilong war wea pipol followim from bifor kam. From diswan, planti taem olketa attakim pipol wea no holem eni gun, olketa woman, and pikinini. Pipol sei long olketa war bilong distaem, winim 90 percent wea dae hem olketa wea no insaed army. Long olketa war olsem, olketa iusim olketa smol gun and hae-paoa gun.
Bat, no olketa gun seleva kosim raoa—pipol bin faet longtaem bifor man wakem gunpowder. Nomata olsem, wei for garem staka gun savve encouragem faet winim wei for story for stretem problem. Olketa gun savve mekem war go ahed for longtaem tumas and kill-kill hem moa big.
Nomata olketa gun long distaem smol nomoa, samting wea kamaot from olketa hem big fogud. Long olketa year bilong 1990, kaen gun olsem killim dae winim foa million pipol. Winim 40 million kamap refugee. Olketa smol gun barava spoelem kantri saed long politik, living, selen, and environment. Kost wea olketa nara kantri iusim for emergency relief, lukaftarem olketa refugee, peacekeeping, and sendem go army hem kasem planti billion dollar.
Why nao olketa smol gun garem bigfala part insaed olketa war bilong distaem? Wea nao olketa kam from? Wanem nao man savve duim for daonem or finisim barava nogud samting wea kamaot from diswan? Bae iumi storyim olketa kwestin hia long olketa nextfala article.
[Footnote]
a Datfala toktok “smol gun” hem minim olketa rifle gun and hand gun—samting for faet wea wanfala man savve holem; datfala toktok “hae-paoa gun” hem minim machine gun, mortar, and grenade gun, wea samfala taem needim tufala man for iusim.
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UN PHOTO 186797/J. Isaac