Juba (AFP) - South Sudan marks its third anniversary of independence on Wednesday, with civil war raging, the young nation divided by ethnic atrocities and on the brink of famine.
The streets of the capital have been lined with banners proclaiming "One People, One Nation", with the government of President Salva Kiir due to put on a show of force with a military parade and speeches delivered to celebrate the breakaway from the repressive government in Khartoum.
Authorities have deployed heavy security ahead of the commemorations, underscoring the bitter divisions in the world's youngest nation where a nearly seven-month-old civil war rages on.
"It's a sad anniversary," admitted Juba resident Gideon, 23, saying he had hoped for better three years on from the fanfare and optimism that swept the country in July 2011.
South Sudan has been wracked by war since mid-December, when presidential guards loyal to Kiir clashed with troops supporting ousted vice-president Riek Machar, who fled to the bush and rallied a huge rebel army.
The fighting has been marked by widespread atrocities against both members of the Nuer people, to which Machar belongs, and revenge attacks against Kiir's Dinka group, the single largest tribe.
[1]A man looks at an International Red Cross plane dropping emergency food supplies in Leer, South Suda …
Civilians have been massacred and dumped in mass graves, patients murdered in hospitals and churches, and entire towns flattened as urban centres including key oil-producing hubs changed hands several times.
The most conservative estimates put the toll at 10,000 dead, although aid workers say the real figure is likely far higher.
Almost 100,000 civilians are sheltering in squalid camps inside UN bases fearing revenge attacks if they leave.
- 'Sick' leaders -
Aid group Oxfam said South Sudan was "currently Africa's worst crisis with nearly 4 million -- a third of the country's population -- at risk of severe hunger and an aid effort that has only so far reached half of those in need".
[2]Malnourished children receive treatment at the Leer Hospital, South Sudan, on July 7, 2014 (AFP Phot …
"The world's attention is elsewhere as Africa's worst humanitarian catastrophe descends into more misery. We will be staring into the abyss and fail to avert a famine if funds do not start arriving soon to help the people of South Sudan at risk of starvation, disease and violence," said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International.
"If the aid effort does not increase 50,000 children could die from malnutrition. Since the current crisis began in December last year fighting has forced 1.5 million people from their homes and numbers continue to rise."
On the eve of the anniversary, the departing UN representative in the country issued a scathing attack on the country's leaders, calling them a "self-serving elite" responsible for a looming "man-made famine".
"Thousands and thousands have been killed," said Hilde Johnson of the UN mission in South Sudan, lashing out at both the government and rebels, warning that one of world's least developed nations has "been set back decades".
Leaders were sick with "the cancer of corruption" with the country's billions of dollars worth of oil "a curse rather than a blessing", she said.
Peace talks in luxury hotels in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa have made little progress and last month they halted indefinitely, with both sides refusing to attend the discussions.
"If there are further delays, and the blame games go on, whether from those wanting to remain in office or those wanting to get back in, we can draw only one conclusion; that this is only about a scramble for power," Johnson added.
- Unrest, Conflicts & War
- Politics & Government
- South Sudan
References
- ^ A man looks at an International Red Cross plane dropping … (news.yahoo.com)
- ^ Malnourished children receive treatment at the Leer … (news.yahoo.com)
Source http://news.yahoo.com/war-torn-south-sudan-marks-third-anniversary-famine-034408557.html
Newer articles:
- South Sudan president asks to revive talks - 09/07/2014 18:00
- South Sudan president urges rebels to resume talks in independence day speech - 09/07/2014 16:59
- South Sudan's unhappy third birthday - 09/07/2014 15:29
- South Sudan's unhappy birthday - 09/07/2014 11:29
- South Sudan Marks Third Independence Day, Despite War - 09/07/2014 08:32
Older news items
- S. Sudan president urges rebel chief to resume peace talks - 09/07/2014 02:50
- Food from the skies to stave off South Sudan famine - 08/07/2014 23:13
- South Sudan: UN's Ban Urges Warring Leaders to Resume Talks - 08/07/2014 21:29
- UN's Ban urges warring South Sudan leaders to resume talks - 08/07/2014 20:21
- S.Sudan elite to blame for looming 'man-made famine', says UN - 08/07/2014 20:14
Latest news items (all categories):
- South Sudan can leverage China’s AI path to bridge the digital divide - 16/09/2026 16:04
- Credible Elections Are No Longer Possible in South Sudan - What Next? - 16/09/2026 15:59
- South Sudan's president replaces electoral chief three months before scheduled polls - 16/09/2026 15:56
- Turkish Airlines is pulling out of 5 African routes, including South Sudan - 16/09/2026 15:23
- ‘Super El Niño’ deepens hunger crisis in South Sudan – WFP - 16/09/2026 15:19
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan Conflict: Five Things You Should Know - 21/01/2014 13:20
- Malakal PoC Headcount and Intention Survey - September 2024 - 16/09/2024 12:45
- REPLY TO THE ARTICLE OF MR. DENG MANGOK. - 06/03/2009 15:42
- A taste of South Sudan created to share on one plate with love - 10/01/2022 01:50
- South Sudan says Sudan seized oil - 23/01/2012 11:09
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 149612 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 28116 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 25198 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 24466 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 22416 times
