While many in the West ignore these vast abuses of human rights or attribute them to tradition or religious differences, other dynamics are at work. Certainly much persecution occurs because the southern inhabitants are Christians. But, attributing the entire Sudanese conflagration solely to religion is shortsighted. The civil war is composed of complex elements of religious, racial, and tribal differences mixed with political factionalism. The consensus among villagers I met was that slave raids occurring there are happening as part of the conflict, not solely as religious persecution.
Much media attention is showered on organizations that buy the freedom of slaves in Sudan.
Prices vary to buy a slave's freedom. Christian Solidarity International has commendably freed 5,066 slaves in the past four years. There are no immediate or easy answers for ending the slave trade in Sudan. Apologists for slavery say it is a traditional, centuries-old practice. Because a practice is traditional, however, does not mean it is legitimate.