Torit, South Sudan – Solomon Oture was on the run.

As a rainmaker, his job was to summon rain – the lifeblood of his small farming community – through prayer and ritual.

But after consecutive years of drought, Oture’s relationship with his native village of Lohobohobo – a remote cluster of huts on the western side of South Sudan’s Lopit mountains – began to fray. Frustrated community leaders came demanding an explanation for his failures.

As anger rose, Oture, in his early 50s, feared for his safety. He fled, taking refuge at the home of his brother’s widow in another village, a four-hour walk away.

But his escape was short-lived.

Weeks later, in early October 2024, a group of young men from Lohobohobo arrived and made it clear Oture had no choice but to return with them.

The follow

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