South Sudan Child Exodus; Every Fifth Arrival Malnourished Amid Secession Wars

(Photo Credit: UNICEF)

 

 

The grim reality of the plight marching unyieldingly across South Sudan reveals an unnerving statistic: every fifth child making the arduous journey from Sudan arrives malnourished, teetering on the precipice of life and death. As lips parched and stomachs hollowed, the UN food agency unveiled that an overwhelming 90 per cent of the new arrivals have not tasted sustenance in what feels like an age.

Since the advent of the last five months, nearly 300,000 souls – mainly of South Sudanese origin – have sought refuge in South Sudan. A civil war that engulfed the nation in 2013 catapulted its citizens into the wretched realities of displacement, seeking solace in neighbouring lands, including Sudan.

Tragically, despite a perilous escape from the throes of danger in Sudan, despair awaits them in South Sudan, says Mary-Ellen McGroarty, the WFP country director in South Sudan. The shroud of catastrophe hung over Sudan in mid-April, when underlying tensions between the military led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan and the RSF, commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, erupted furiously into open conflict.

Despite battling burgeoning crises, the WFP now faces a resource deficit upwards of $120 million in funds necessary to manage the humanitarian needs materialising at this volatile border. As if human misery wasn’t enough, nature adds to the tumult – with the onset of the rainy season swelling rivers past their boundaries, causing floods that, in turn, foster the spread of diseases.

Those making the latter-day journey are weaker, more vulnerable than those escaping in the earlier stages of conflict, says a statement from the WFP.

As the dust of conflict refuses to settle, the UN estimates horrifying numbers – 5,000 lives lost, over 12,000 wounded since the conflict ignited in Sudan in mid-April. The casualties of the conflict exceeding mere numbers – over 5.2 million have relinquished their homes, with over 1 million making desperate sojourns into neighbouring countries.

A stark look at the demographic scenario reveals that half of the 50-million strong population require humanitarian aid urgently. A shocking 6.3 million among these stand helplessly at the brink of famine, their survival hanging by a thread, as per UN humanitarian officials’ estimations.