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Led by John Garang, the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) eventually rose up to defend the people of Southern Sudan against the government forces of the North.

In 1990, the government sent a large army into the South in an effort to invade Northern Uganda and use it a base for further military campaigns in the region. When the people of Luwolo learned of the approach of the governmental force, the elder of the village walked down to a nearby stream and prayed. When he finished his prayer, he predicted, "If this land belongs to us, the government's army will not cross this stream. If they do cross this stream, the land is not our possession."

While the people of the community fled to the surrounding hills, the SPLA army emerged and managed to surround the enemy. As the North's commander approached the stream, his vehicle was struck by enemy fire and he fled on foot. The SPLA gained a critical victory that day and the North's army never did cross that stream.

Thirteen years later, in 2003, the war persisted in Sudan. In the area of Luwolo, there was a tree that had long ago fallen. The children used to sit on its fallen log. One day several children discovered this same tree standing upright. It was a frightening site to many people, because everyone knew that the only the day before it was fallen. When they called the same elder to come and see, he predicted that as that tree had fallen and stood again, the district of Luwolo and Kajo Keji, although marginalized and ravaged by war, would rise again. He predicted that in the time of peace a town would spring up in that area and that people would gather to be part of its development.

This phenomenon, reportedly confirmed by international journalists, is coming to pass. Peace has come to Southern Sudan, Luwolo is developing and the beginnings of a town are developing there. This tree, known as the "Peace Tree" has since fallen again, due to termites. What remains of the Peace Tree serves as a reminder to the local inhabitants of how far they have come in such a short time.

Learn more about this author, Andy Johnson.
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