South Sudan: A Child's Tale - Victims of South Sudan's Conflict

Politicians and armed soldiers may have started South Sudan's conflict, but it is civilians - in particular children - who are paying the cost.

In a group of around one hundred children - some singing, some playing, some crying - two young girls in particular stand out. Their names are Madiha*, 9, and Lina*, 4. It is not their unusual silence that catches my attention, but the way they frequently hug each other, often seemingly involuntarily.

Lina tightly grips her blue bunny rabbit, her eyes never leaving sight of it. Madiha hugs her tiny sister, keeping an eye on everyone and anything with a sense of alertness.

I meet Madiha and Lina at a 'child-friendly space^[1]', run by Plan International^[2], in Awerial in the Lakes state of South Sudan. A 'child-friendly space' is a lifeline for children in disasters and for those displaced and separated from friends and family. Relief often comes in the form of a white canvas tent and a friendly blue logo of a child and sun - as long as the tent follows minimum standards^[3].

The more I peer through the viewfinder of my camera, the more difficult the expression of affection between these two tiny children is to ignore.

Their silence is their story.

In December 2013, South Sudan descended into armed conflict, leading to human suffering of catastrophic proportions. Thousands have been killed, while the UN estimates^[4] that 900,000 people have been displaced from their homes, with some 190,000 fleeing to neighbouring countries. Thousands of children and women have also been trapped in the crossfire, displaced and separated from family and friends, and are now living an unending nightmare.

With fear in her eyes, Madiha recounts her tale. She explains how she saw armed men attacking everything, killing everyone in sight. Soon after the conflict began, her hometown of Bor, Jonglei state, turned into a flashpoint in the battle between government soldiers and armed rebels. The violence spiralled out of control, thousands died and a mass exodus began.

On 28 December, armed men seized Madiha's mother and father. Later that day, they were shot dead at close range. The young girl witnessed it all.

Madiha's first instinct was to protect Lina. She grabbed hands of her sister - the only thing left in her life - and ran. As they made their escape, this nine-year-old child was transformed into a mother and father to her four-year-old sister, leaving her childhood behind^[5].

References

1. ^{^} child-friendly space (plan-international.org)
2. ^{^} Plan International (plan-international.org)
3. ^{^} minimum standards (www.sphereproject.org)
4. ^{^} UN estimates (reliefweb.int)
5. ^{^} leaving her childhood behind (olaf.blogg.no)