Just two months after declaring independence, South Sudan is facing internal strife. Violent ethnic clashes between the Murle and Lou Nuer communities of Jonglei state have resulted in about 600 deaths and nearly 1000 more wounded. The conflict has also diplaced over 250,000 people, who are now living in six makeshift camps without any protection from heavy rains. The International Organization for Migration support of the UN Mission in South Sudan has begun airlifting relief supplies to those displaced.
“The situation of the displaced people in these areas is terribly bad because these are makeshift camps made of branches of trees, no hygiene, no sanitation,” says Jumbe Omari Jumbe, of the IOM. “Many roads are impassable during this season, that is why we have to use helicopter at the moment to send assistance there. We have airlifted 5,000 mosquito nets, 5,000 blankets and other non-food items to an estimated 3,500 internally displaced people. More airlifts are planned for other locations in the coming days.”
The conflict is only the latest challenge facing the new nation. It has one of the worst maternal mortality rates, and one out of every seven South Sudanese children dies before their fifth birthday. Female illiteracy exceeds 80 percent, and more than half of children ages six to 13 years are not receiving a formal education.
http://www.oecumene.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=517064
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