South Sudan: Former Child Soldiers Attempt to Leave Behind Horrid Past

South Sudan is home to more than 19,000 child soldiers, one of the largest rates in the entire world. While the country is slowly emerging from a five-year civil war that has left hundreds of thousands of people dead or displaced, there is still concern over the possibility that former child soldiers could return to their war-centered lives.

Many children who were formerly soldiers admitted that even though the horrors of war were traumatizing, they still found comfort and stability in the military. The army offered them bedding and clothes, as well as a sense of belonging. These children now find themselves adrift with virtually nothing while the U.N. attempts to integrate them back into civilian society. Many worry that this long process could cause children to return to the military, and the fact that the rate of forced child soldier recruitments has increased in the past year only solidifies these concerns.

According to the National Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration Commission, the South Sudan government is not investing in child soldier integration, leaving many pessimistic about the future. With the upcoming unification of governments in November, there is hope that the peace deal will motivate the leaders to support to the cause.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/south-sudans-child-soldiers-struggle-move-66435959

Bishop Eduardo Kussala Stresses Need for Humanitarian Help in South Sudan

Although it is the youngest country in the world, South Sudan has seen more violence and war than many of its neighbors. The civil war that has been raging in the region for the past five years has led to hundreds of thousands of needless deaths, and more than 4,000,000 people being displaced from their homes. These people desperately need help, and fortunately, leaders such as Bishop Kussala are heeding the call.

According to Kussala, the U.S. government has pulled back diplomatically but is still providing humanitarian aid to South Sudan. However, in order to help South Sudan recover from the years of war, the U.S. will need to have a better relationship with the country by working with it hand-in-hand and leading it to prosperity. The US can also use its strong influence to encourage South Sudan’s neighboring countries to help bring stability to the war-torn region.

Bishop Kussala is continuously working with partners such as the Sudan Relief Fund to raise money and awareness for South Sudan, and he hopes that his visit to the U.S. will have a major impact on his efforts.

Read the article here

South Sudan President and Rebel Leader Form Transitional Government

Recently, South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir met with rebel leader Riek Machar, and the two parties agreed on a coalition to help stabilize the region and form a transitional government by the 12th of November of this year.

When South Sudan split away from Sudan in 2011, the region had already suffered through decades of war, but the conflict only worsened in 2013 when Kiir fired Machar as his vice president, which led to a violent civil war between the government and an army of rebels.

Last year, Kiir and Machar had signed a pact calling for a unity government, however, it had been delayed because the South Sudan government said it did not have the money to fund disarmament and integration of armed factions. In the recent meeting, the two leaders discussed their plans to move forward with the pact, along with several provisions, including constitutional amendments, security laws, and the amount of regional states the country should have.

With the signing of this pact and the forming of the interim government less than two months away, there is hope that this bloody conflict will soon come to an end.

Read the article here

Dr. Tom Catena Invited to Speak About Healthcare in Sudan at Upcoming 2019 World Health Summit

Each year, the World Health Summit brings together 2,500 high-level participants from 100 countries around the world to discuss opportunities and responsibilities in improving global health. This year, Aurora Prize Laureate and Chair of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative Dr. Tom Catena will speak at the summit to reflect on his experience treating patients in the war-torn areas of Sudan.

Dr. Catena is the Founder and Medical Director the Mother of Mercy Hospital in Sudan, and has spent the past decade serving as the only surgeon permanently based in the Nuba Mountains. Dr. Catena hopes the insight gained from his experience will motivate attendees at the World Health Summit to find efficient healthcare solutions for people living in remote regions.

In addition to speaking at the World Health Summit, Dr. Catena will also be attending the AidEx Nairobi Conference in Africa, giving lectures at Columbia University and Duke University, and participating in the Annual Conference for the Catholic Medical Association in Nashville, Tennessee. These speaking opportunities will allow Dr. Catena to raise awareness of the suffering in Sudan and hopefully encourage others to take action as well.

Read the article here

Papal confidante says South Sudan trip will happen ‘sooner or later’

Bringing peace to South Sudan has been a focus of Pope Francis over the past 2 years.  As an advocate for human rights and justice in the region, Pope Francis hosted country leaders at the Vatican including President Salva Kiir.  Pope Francis has not yet visited South Sudan but according to one insider, Italian layman Mauro Garofalo, a visit will happen, “sooner or later.”

Garofalo is the chief of international relations for the Sant’Egidio community and made the comment to journalists after a three-day series of meetings in Rome with the National Pre-Transitional Committee of South Sudan (NPCT). The NPCT have been tasked with assisting in the implementation of South Sudan’s October 2018 peace agreement.

Read Garofalo’s full quote and more here

Italian Bishops’ Conference donates one million euros to South Sudan

South Sudan is set to receive a one million euro donation from the Italian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (Conferenza Episcopale Italian, CEI.) The funds are pledged “in favor of the people of South Sudan” according to the conference and targeted to aid multiple humanitarian issues.

This marks the fourth year in a row the group has allocated a portion of the “eight per thousand” funds to provide aid in South Sudan.  The “eight per thousand” is tax law where a portion of Italian citizens tax returns are distributed to organized religion and social assistance programs.  The Church uses this funding for a variety of charitable programs cross the globe.

Read the article here