Hope in Suffering: Visit report: South Sudan and the Nuba Mountains in Sudan (February 2019)

A visit report from the latest HART fact-finding trip to South Sudan and the Nuba Mountains in Sudan presents an overview of humanitarian situations, provides first-hand evidence of human rights issues, and includes testimonies from local people, community leaders and political figures. The concerns outlined below seek to reflect the priorities of our partners in Sudan and South Sudan – the full report can be downloaded from the attachment at the bottom of this page.

Sudan

• The Government of Sudan should allow cross-border aid to reach the Two Areas to enable the survival of civilians, who are not able to trust aid sent from Khartoum due to their experience of sustained genocidal policies perpetrated against them for so many years.

• The UK Government acknowledge there has been no improvement in human rights in Sudan in recent years. Yet it continues to promote trade links with Sudan, which provides credibility and support for the regime. We heard time and again from community leaders within the Two Areas that the UK’s ‘strategic dialogue’ policies will not work.

South Sudan

• We share the widely-publicised concern over the many problems in South Sudan, caused by aspects of the political leadership, economic crises and inter-communal conflicts. However, we were encouraged by the resilience and resourcefulness of local people, especially at the Mary Help College of Nursing and midwifery and St. John’s College in Wau.

• Community leaders are inhibited from accessing funds by large-scale donors, most notably the UK’s Department for International Development, because of disruptive bureaucratic requirements. We urge such donors to make funds available to those who undertake programmes that supply essential services, such as education, health care, agricultural development and small-scale entrepreneurship.

Testimonies

“My children get night terrors because they are traumatised. They cry in their sleep from what they have seen. We are suffering and dying miserably.” Asunta Abuk Madut, Hai Masna camp, South Sudan

“The regime does not want to finalise peace. They prefer to deny us our rights. They want to impose only one culture and one religion.” Governor Anur Shallah, Nuba Mountains, Sudan

The Government is killing its own people. They are burning churches. They do not want people to be Christians.” General Jagot Mukwar, Deputy Chair of SPLM-N, Sudan

“Our people have suffered so long. Hunger, sickness, war. The Government persecute us in so many ways.They employ new tactics to inflict suffering.” Commissioner David Isiah, Nuba Moutains, Sudan

“People are traumatised by war. Our families were killed. Our cattle slaughtered. Our homes destroyed.” Community leaders in Yida refugee camp, South Sudan

“My baby is malnourished and has diarrhea but I cannot access medicine or a ration card as we arrived too late.” Awok Mamour, Hai Masna camp, South Sudan