Forest Whitaker (middle) poses for a photo with young South Sudanese in Juba (Copyright eye radio)
NAIROBI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Hollywood actor Forest Whitaker said fear of an escalation of violence was growing among South Sudanese, while speaking to refugees from the war-torn nation which the United Nations believes may be on the brink of genocide.South Sudan gained its independence from Sudan in 2011 but tensions between its different ethnic groups quickly surfaced and civil war broke out in 2013 between President Salvar Kiir's largely Dinka security forces and units loyal to his former deputy Riek Machar, a Nuer.The fighting has driven more than 3 million people from their homes, led to widespread sexual violence and brought the nation of 11 million people close to famine."There is a growing concern - people are thinking the conflict will escalate again," said Whitaker, who has been on a week-long trip to Uganda and South Sudan. "Hopefully it won't turn into a Rwanda situation," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, referring to the 1994 Rwandan genocide in which more than 800,000 people were killed.The American Oscar-winning actor arrived in South Sudan on Sunday to oversee the work of his charity, the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, which aims to promote tolerance among young people. The charity has worked in South Sudan since 2012, using sports and film screenings to teach youngsters how to mediate and overcome ethnic divisions that have fueled the fighting.The actor's interest in the region dates back to 2006, when he met Ugandan former child soldiers while filming "The Last King of Scotland", in which he played the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin - a role that earned him an Academy Award for best actor.Last week, Whitaker visited South Sudanese refugees who had fled to Kiryandongo camp in Uganda, where he plans to start a peace-building project in March for young people. Teenage girls told him their families were not allowing them to go to school in the camp, instead forcing them to do household chores."There are people having struggles, feeling hopeless because of the conflict, not being able to know who to trust," the 55-year-old American actor said in a phone interview."It became quite emotional." Despite the massive challenges in South Sudan where most people are illiterate, six in 10 children do not go to school and culture often glorifies war, Whitaker said his programs have helped to make a difference."Some of our youths have even negotiated for the army to move out of schools and for the children to come back," he said."They could help to shape the world into a place where they have ... life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," he added. (Reporting by Katy Migiro @katymigiro; Editing by Katie Nguyen.; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women’s rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit news.trust.org[1] to see more stories.)
References
- ^ news.trust.org (news.trust.org)
Newer articles:
- 'God has answered my prayers': Mother reunited with children in South Sudan after 3-year search - 16/02/2017 12:41
- South Sudan: UN deplores lack of information on 20,000 people displaced in Upper Nile - 16/02/2017 09:19
- The great tragedy of South Sudan - 15/02/2017 13:26
- The AU’s three options in South Sudan - 15/02/2017 08:39
- South Sudan mission and semantics - 15/02/2017 00:02
Older news items
- South Sudan’s Forgotten Refugees Keep Fleeing as Violence Continues - 14/02/2017 06:57
- South Sudan civil war creates humanitarian crisis - 13/02/2017 13:39
- UN seeks $1.6B for war-torn South Sudan - 13/02/2017 06:59
- UN says fighting in 2 South Sudan hotspots is 'devastating' - 13/02/2017 00:00
- South Sudan general Cirillo Swaka quits, cites army abuses and ethnic bias - 11/02/2017 04:33
Latest news items (all categories):
- ATIDI approves USD84 million counter-guarantee to support financing of Rwanda’s new international airport - 15/07/2025 15:36
- South Sudan’s foreign minister in Washington for tense talks on deportations and governance - 15/07/2025 14:51
- Kenyan Transporters Warned Against Using Nimule–Juba Highway in South Sudan After 4 PM - 15/07/2025 14:49
- US Border Official Says Fate of Deported Migrants to South Sudan Unknown - 15/07/2025 14:28
- Call for peace, justice and reconciliation in South Sudan - 15/07/2025 14:25
Random articles (all categories):
- UN trains Cambodia’s blue helmets for crucial mission in South Sudan - 04/07/2023 04:51
- Truckers want container deadline extended after attacks in S Sudan - 09/09/2021 00:02
- Juba Peace Agreement makes way for 'era of prosperity' in Sudan, Egyptian PM says - 03/10/2020 18:26
- South Sudan intensifies Ebola preparedness in response to the outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo - 07/09/2018 08:35
- رد تعقيب د/فيتر ادوك عن التعددية السياسية بالجنوب - 26/08/2010 01:00
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 119810 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22813 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 22700 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 21998 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19726 times