Africa
South Sudan – this is how they survive in the chaos of war
Over ten million people are on the run in Sudan and South Sudan. Some people find protection and help in a small transit camp.
Civil wars have plagued South Sudan for decades. Millions of people are on the run, some for their entire lives. A transit camp in the city of Malakal in northeastern South Sudan shows this madness. Here returnees find shelter and help for a while. They once fled from South Sudan to the north. Now there is fighting there too and people are flooding back to their old homeland.
In April 2023, bloody fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). More than 11.5 million are on the run. Before the current crisis, more than a million people sought refuge in Sudan.
Decades of war in Sudan and South Sudan
Officially they are returnees, even if there is nowhere to return to. So they don’t enjoy official refugee status – they fall through the net of UN aid. They have to find accommodation in the camp themselves. At least there is something to eat. Caritas distributes food there, financed with donations from Misereor. Most stay in the camp for a few weeks. They are then taken to the airport in trucks and flown to Juba, the capital of South Sudan. And what happens afterwards? You are then on your own. A real return is usually not possible. The old villages and houses have either been destroyed or other people have been living there for a long time. There has been war in the region since the 1950s, with few interruptions. The largest humanitarian crisis on the planet is currently taking place there. largely ignored by the world.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
