South Sudan, water has swallowed whole villages: nearly one million people are affected

ROME – A nation already tormented by years of civil war has struck a real catastrophe. A state of emergency was declared in South Sudan due to violent floods that engulfed the country. It is estimated that there are about 908 thousand people affected by the floods and now in need; among them at least 490 thousand children.

Water has swallowed whole villages, including health centers and schools. Even the provision of basic health services is currently suspended: only 10% of healthcare facilities are operational in different areas of the country. Half of the population lacks food. This latest tragedy is taking place in a country already in crisis: before this catastrophe there were over 7.2 million people in need, in need of humanitarian assistance. 54% of people in South Sudan still live in conditions of serious food insecurity. Amref has been present in the South Sudan area since 1972 with the aim of strengthening the country’s health system. “Year after year, we have expanded the range of our projects and interventions in favor of the South Sudanese population”, reads a note from the NGO.

Support for aid projects.

“The floods have spared the areas of intervention of our projects – informs the document released by Amref – but the effects in the long run do not put aside anyone. It is essential to continue investing in these projects precisely to allow the South Sudanese population not to lose the trust in the possibility of living a better life. The people saved today – the note concludes – deserve a tomorrow worthy of being called the future “. It is possible – Here – to make a donation to support Amref’s aid projects.

And against the background of natural disasters, war.

The first civil war in Sudan – it is the beginning of an Mondo Solidale article in 2015 that proposes a general picture of the reasons for an endless war – was born at a time when widespread separatist turmoil crumbled (or at least they deluded themselves into crumbling) colonial regimes. The conflict within the country (which has always been agitated by the contrast between the Arab North and the South with a predominantly sub-Saharan, animist and Christian ethnic-cultural background) takes place from 1955 to 1972. The central Sudanese government and the Southern separatists enter the war – precisely – they strongly demand greater regional autonomy. To lose our lives, in those 17 years of war, there were about half a million people, mostly civilians.

Article first published on https://www.news1.news/2019/11/south-sudan-water-has-swallowed-whole-villages-nearly-one-million-people-are-affected.html