The War the World Forgot

September 1, 2016

People and Power investigates the forgotten war taking place on the borders between North and South Sudan.

It’s one of Africa’s most bitter, if often forgotten, conflicts.

In 2011, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan following a 2005 peace deal that ended Africa’s longest-running civil war.

After a referendum, in which an overwhelming majority of South Sudanese voted to secede, Africa’s newest country came into being, the first since Eritrea split from Ethiopia in 1993.

Emergency food aid delivery expected to feed 4,000 South Sudanese

August 22, 2016

A shipment from Kenya made an emergency food aid delivery to those suffering in South Sudan as the world’s youngest country is teetering on the brink of civil war.

Trucks filled with 28 tons of food made the life-saving delivery early Saturday morning on August 13th to Juba, which was funded by the Sudan Relief Fund. Religious congregations will be organizing the distribution and personally handing out food to an expected 4,000 South Sudanese who come to them for help.

“What a great relief!” said Brother Bernhard Hengl, Development Coordinator of the Sudan Catholic Bishops Conference. “I still cannot believe it, that all worked out well, in spite of insecurity and challenges!”

For security reasons, the trucks were accompanied by police from the Nimule border, and were instructed to pass the bridge and cross the entire town in the dark hours of the night. Just last month, the government issued an order blocking air and land exits, causing thousands of South Sudanese to be stranded in Nimule.

The trucks were unloaded at 4am and left by 7am to go back to Kenya via Uganda.

This emergency food delivery comes just a week before South Sudan leaders reached out to Kenya for economic aid.

Former Slave to Run for South Sudan in Olympic Marathon

August 20, 2016

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – South Sudanese Olympic athlete Guor Marial may not be a hot medal tip for Sunday’s marathon, but the former slave’s road to Rio is one of the most astonishing stories of the games.

As a teenager Marial was forced to run for his life during Sudan’s long civil war in which he lost 28 members of his family, was kidnapped twice and ended up in servitude.

CLICK HERE FOR HIS INSPIRING STORY

UN: South Sudan Recruits Child Soldiers as Civil War Looms

August 18, 2016

South Sudan’s government has recruited child soldiers, as young as twelve years old, in the past week to prepare for a renewed conflict, according to an internal United Nations document obtained by The Associated Press.

A whole village of boys was pressed into joining the army by a senior politician acting on President Salva Kiir’s instructions, the document suggests. The United Nations’ children’s agency UNICEF said more than 16,000 children have been recruited into armed groups since December 2013 when the civil war first erupted.

https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/08/18/world/africa/ap-af-south-sudan-child-soldiers.html?_r=1

UN Security Council Backs More Troops to Halt War in South Sudan

August 12, 2016

The United Nations Security Council approved an expanded mandate for its peacekeepers and added an additional 4,000 troops to its mission in South Sudan, rebuffing government objections, in a bid to halt an all-out civil war in the oil-producing country.

The Security Council on Friday granted additional powers to peacekeepers enabling them to use “all necessary means” to protect UN personnel and to take “proactive” measures to protect civilians from threats.

“The whole point about this process is fighting needs to stop and the peace process needs to be embarked on with some seriousness,” said Peter Wilson, U.K. deputy permanent representative to the UN. “The government of South Sudan has an opportunity to prove to the world and more importantly to its own people that it is serious about peace.”

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A muddy field in South Sudan is at the center of an intractable war

August 8, 2016

“The fighting is back, and we are ready to fight,” one young man said.

He pointed beyond the fence ostensibly separating him from armed combatants.

“Our guns are out there,” he said.

The camp’s residents had fled their homes after war broke out in late 2013 between the forces of President Salva Kiir and those of Vice President Riek Machar. Tens of thousands of people were killed in what became an ethnically driven conflict. There were hopes that the violence would end when a peace agreement was signed last August. But fighting broke out last month in the capital, Juba, and everyone expected it to spread.

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Is There Any Hope for Peace in South Sudan?

July 22, 2016

JUBA, South Sudan — For nearly two weeks, they have hunkered in a schoolyard with nothing to do and nowhere else to go, dozens of people battling hunger, swarms of mosquitoes — and fear. 

“I just want peace so I can go back to school,” said Betty Christian, a chatty 19-year-old who fled her home here in the capital, Juba, when clashes erupted across the city this month. As she ran to find shelter, she passed soldiers who debated whether to shoot her, she said. When they decided not to shoot because she was female, she thanked them.

Eventually, Ms. Christian made her way to this makeshift displacement site with her aunt and several of her cousins. But she has not heard from her mother since the gunfire began, and does not know where to find her.

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Refugee Kits for those Starving in the Sudan

June 2, 2016

Three years of civil war have brought the nation of South Sudan and its people to their knees. An estimated 50,000 people have been killed in the five years since the new nation of South Sudan was born. Countless numbers have been displaced. And more than 3 million are starving.

Soldiers have recently raided houses throughout the country in places like Wau and taken seeds away from people on the verge of starvation. It is a very tense situation. Because of security concerns, hardly anyone can cultivate. Brother Bernhard Hengl, of the Combine Missionaries, claims “A terrible famine will happen this year!”

Many people have lost everything. Villages and crops have been burned, and countless people have been forced to flee and hide in the bush. Here, they survive on twigs, leaves and water lilies. This, in spite of the fact that South Sudan should be a very fertile country. The Nile runs through South Sudan, and provides plenty of opportunity for cultivation. “South Sudan should be a country full of hope four years after gaining independence. Instead, it’s now in the grip of a massive, man-made humanitarian crisis.”

Thanks to the support of our generous donors we are one of the few organizations that have remained in South Sudan. 1 of every 5 people in South Sudan have been displaced. A major initiative of ours has been delivering refugee kits to the people on the ground. Each kit contains a cooking pot, four plates, four mugs, four spoons, one cooking spoon, two sauce pans, one knife and a carton to pack it all in. Along with the refugee kits, we have also continued delivering sorghum and other food staples to the displaced.

The Sudan Relief Fund has served the people of the Sudan for 17 years. We’ve been bringing water, food, shelter, and the message of Christ’s love to the people of South Sudan. We’ve drilled bore wells, provided medical supplies, built schools, and trained teachers and catechists. And have provided what shelter we could for a generation of South Sudanese displaced by war.

But, because of the crisis happening right now, we’ve concentrated our efforts on delivering food and refugee kits. These kits have proven essential for so many displaced people. Without it, many would not be able to survive. This is a catastrophic crisis unlike any seen since North Sudan’s genocide against the people in neighboring Darfur.

Click here for a video of Dr. Tom explaining the importance of these refugee kits. Dr. Tom Catena, as many of you know, has been serving the people of the Sudan in the Nuba Mountains for almost ten years. He is the lone doctor at the Mother of Mercy Hospital that serves people throughout the region.

If you would like to help us deliver refugee kits, please click here.

Report on Orphans of South Sudan Project

May 26, 2016

The number of orphans in South Sudan has risen dramatically over the last several years. In response to this, and thanks to our generous donors, The Sudan Relief Fund has been supporting The Welfare Support to Orphans and Vulnerable Children Project. The project was designed to address the daily and important needs of the 56 children staying at the Orphanage in Tombura. It was begun in August 2014 and has changed the lives of the orphans forever.

Due to instability in South Sudan food, security and medical costs have been skyrocketing at the orphanage. We have helped secure part of the orphanage with chain link fence to provide the children security. We provide funding for food and medicines so that the children are assured of daily meals.

There are five categories of aid that the orphans need and that we are able to provide thanks to our donors:

1. Monthly Feeding Costs

We have sent money to feed the orphans. The children used to eat once or twice a day, but now through the SRF support they are having three meals a day. The children were also forced to cook for themselves, both before and after school, but now a cook has been hired with a little incentive paid to her from the monthly feeding budget. This has saved the children the burden of coming back from school late in the evenings and having to start cooking.

 

 

2. School Fees

The fees for school were also quite prohibitive for the orphans. We at the Sudan Relief Fund realize the next generation of South Sudan must have an education to help their country. Therefore we are paying the school fees for the children at the orphanage . Uniforms were bought and other school materials like books, pens, papers, etc were also provided for all the children attending school.

3. Medical Costs

All outstanding medical bills for the Orphanage in Tombura were paid by September 2014. Thanks to Sudan Relief Fund’s generous donors we have been able to pay for any ongoing medical cost for the children or staff at the Orphanage.

4. Solar and battery power Installation

Two batteries, an inverter, and a controller have been installed to provide light to the main building at the orphanage. Two solar panels were connected to charge the batteries and provide light to the children. This will both improve their performance in school and provide better security.

5. Other basic necessities for the Orphans

The Orphanage had been missing many household items before this project. Since its inception, the SRF funded project has enabled the orphanage to purchase many important house items like Chairs, Benches, Iron boxes, bags, shoes, clothing and many other staples.