Life goes on in South Sudan
Despite feelings of uncertainty for refugees, there is undeniable hope
As the world observed World Refugee Day on Thursday, with 70.8 million people forced from their homes around the world, the UNHCR reports that two thirds of all refugees come from five countries – one of these countries being South Sudan.
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS (MSF)
THE smell of sweet ginger coffee being prepared in a little tin hut manages to waft above the putrid smell of green sludge – it’s the smell of life going on.
It lingers in the air, and somehow, just like the people here, manages to rise above the suffocating conditions of a Protection of Civilians (PoC) site.
Since 2013, some 4 million people have been displaced by conflict in South Sudan. Two million sought safety across borders, while another 2 million remain internally displaced.
During some of the most extreme periods of violence, thousands of people fled in unprecedented numbers to existing UN bases for protection, and as the conflict extended, these bases transitioned into PoC sites and are guarded by forces from the UN Mission in South Sudan.
Since the signing of an agreement between warring parties last September, discussions on the return of displaced people and the future of the PoC sites are emerging.
Currently, around 180 000 people are seeking safety in six of these camps in South Sudan.
Despite the challenging conditions within, for many, the alternative of being outside is worse.
“When my village was attacked, many people were separated and children even ran with different families wherever they were.
“Everyone was scattered or killed. When we got here, we were only hearing things like ‘this one was killed, this one is here, or this one is looking for you’,” says Teresa from Mayendit, a mother of three at Bentiu PoC.
Across from Teresa, two plastic chairs have been occupied and music is blaring from a speaker tied up to chicken wire.
The speaker breathes rhythm into the camp, falling on teenage ears that may be listening for hope, love, or most likely distraction.
In Bentiu PoC, for more than 100 000 people living here, the challenges are many; safety, food, water, health and shelter.
“Gatherings of big populations in one place are not good in terms of health. People are not housed properly. The way they construct the houses is by putting five shelters together without being separated,” said a father of five now living in the PoC for five years, despite coming from neighbouring Rubkona.
“If a person in shelter one is infected by TB and doesn’t know his symptoms, we fear this guy will infect all five shelters. Without shelters being separated, there’s a greater risk of being contaminated,” he said.
People’s coping mechanisms have been stretched, but despite the many challenges people are faced with within the camps, and despite feelings of uncertainty about what their future might look like outside of them, there is undeniable hope for what could be.
“If we witness it, the peace, then we can go outside. If not, better to be here. But what I want to add is that all the women from South Sudan, all the people of South Sudan, hope for peace. If there will be peace, that will be nice,” says Teresa.
Until then, the rhythm of life in the camps continues; chitter-chatter, hands scrubbing, hearts praying, women fetching, children playing, all struggling, but all resilient – surviving in the most dignified way you can, in some of the most undignified conditions imaginable.
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