Genocide is happening right now in South Sudan and here’s how you can help

The ‘tribal’ three-year civil war in South Sudan must be considered ‘genocide’, according to a senior British official.

But there are several ways you can help people affected by famine in the country in addition to the conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Priti Patel, the UK’s secretary of state for international development, yesterday said there are ‘massacres taking place’ and ‘people’s throats being slit’, as she described the situation as ‘genocide’^[6].Several charities have launched appeals to help starving refugees in South Sudan, including Unicef ^[2]and Oxfam^[3].

You can also donate to Care ^[4]and the United Nations Foundation^[5], who have also launched specific appeals for the people of South Sudan.

The move is significant as the conflict has rarely been described as genocide by government officials, while the UN has yet to make the declaration.

Ms Patel urged African leaders to take action to end the conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

His government has been accused of blocking food aid to some areas and harassing aid workers, with the nation gripped by famine.Describing the situation as ‘absolutely abhorrent and inhumane’, she said: ‘It’s tribal, it’s absolutely tribal, so on that basis it’s genocide.’

Her comments came after she visited South Sudan and met the president, Salvia Kiir.

Ms Patel said villages are being burned, women raped and food used as a weapon of war.

She said: ‘The violence that is taking place is a stain on Africa.

‘Other leaders in the region cannot sit on their hands here. They themselves have to call on President Kiir to do more.

‘If there’s a national dialogue plan, regional leaders in my view should be taking the lead on that, in terms of how they influence President Kiir but also how they support the national dialogue as well to bring peace and reconciliation to that country.’

Last month, the UN said South Sudan is experiencing ethnic cleansing by government forces and their allies, and the country is teetering on the edge of the genocide.

But claims of genocide have been rejected by Kiir’s government.

Ms Patel was speaking from Uganda, where more than 800,000 refugees from South Sudan are sheltering in settlements.

If her comments reflect official British policy, the government is obligated to act on the situation, according to Casie Copeland, a senior analyst for the International Crisis Group.

References

1. ^{^} You're terrible at picking flattering profile pictures, here's the secret (metro.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Unicef (www.unicef.org.uk)
3. ^{^} Oxfam (donate.oxfam.org.uk)
4. ^{^} Care (www.careinternational.org.uk)
5. ^{^} United Nations Foundation (secure.globalproblems-globalsolutions.org)
6. ^{^} she described the situation as ‘genocide’ (metro.co.uk)
7. ^{^} This machine creates water from air using the power of the sun (metro.co.uk)
8. ^{^} World (metrouk2.wordpress.com)