Darfuri Refugee Thanks British Jewry

by Justin Cohen - Thursday 7th August 2008


A Darfuri refugee this week made an emotional plea to Anglo-Jewry to continue supporting those forced to flee the region as he thanked the Jewish News for its efforts to halt deportations to Sudan.

Ibrahim Issa Korkor – who was himself tortured and lost his own brother in the crisis which has so far claimed at least 200,000 lives – was speaking after hundreds signed our petition to Gordon Brown urging the government not to send refugees back to a country where they will face intimidation and torture.

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Pouring out his heart this week, the 32-year-old recalled how he was forbidden from speaking his own language at school “because the Arab government wanted us to be more Arabic” and how Black Africans had to sit at the back of the class.

But far worse was to come after some Black Africans rebelled. “The rebels were too hard to find, so the government decided to attack all of our villages, kill all of our men, rape our women, and steal our animals,” he said. “They did this by giving weapons and horses to the ‘Janjiweed.’ Many villages, including mine, were burnt to the ground. Our water has been poisoned.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed. Three million have been made homeless. My brother was killed and I saw many people murdered.”

Ibrahim himself suffered torture, the physical effects of which have only recently healed, while he has also been forced to suffer the mental anguish of not knowing the fate of his mother and sister.

Since arriving in the UK in 2004, he has had two asylum applications turned down, and has spent the past eight months awaiting the result of a third. And all the while he is barred from working and has not even been receiving food vouchers.

“I have to rely on the generosity of others. I can’t even afford English lessons. All I want is a normal life, safe from violence and oppression. That’s why I want to stay in this country.”

One of the few positives for Ibrahim has been the support of the Jewish community. After spending months in detention without charge, he was taken in by one Golders Green couple and later by a friend of the couple, with whom he still lives today.

He also thanked the Jewish News and its readers for their efforts on behalf of Darfuri refugees – a drive which last month inspired Sinai School teacher Peretz Tabor to initiate a letter-writing campaign among pupils to urge Rudi Vis MP to intervene on Ibrahim’s behalf. After visiting the school, where pupils presented him with a number of specially-designed pictures, Ibrahim said: “The Jewish community has always been on our side. They understand genocide, racism and oppression. I’m so grateful to the Jewish community, please continue to help us. I am very scared of being sent back to Sudan where my people are still being killed.”

Samuel Lebens, who with his wife Gaby took Ibrahim in after learning about the case from the Aegis Trust, said: “Some people think asylum seekers come to this country because they want prosperity. Ibrahim is basically destitute and said he’d much rather go home were it safe for him to do so.”

He added: “It’s that feeling of being in limbo that’s traumatic for him now.”

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