Philanthropist Julian Omidi is cofounder of No More Poverty with his brother, Dr. Michael Omidi. No More Poverty is an organization dedicated to bolstering the work of charities that strive to end global poverty and its causes. In this article, Julian Omidi discusses the conditions of refugee camps in South Sudan, and the conflict that continues to rage in that region.
I just read an incredibly disturbing article about the conditions for refugee children in South Sudan. It seems that thousands have been made ill from the horribly unsanitary conditions in the refugee camps.
According to Doctors without Borders, approximately three children die every day in the camps from diarrhea, malaria and other avoidable illnesses. The camp, which is located between Sudan and South Sudan, sits on a flood plain which turns into a veritable swamp during the heavy rains. Latrines overflow; everyone is constantly wet and bacterial infection runs riot. The conditions are so bad that there has been an attempt by the United Nations to relocate the refugees to safer grounds, but the constant arrival of new refugees in militarized zones forced a halt to the effort until the new arrivals had been moved out of danger. According to the article:
“’These are unequivocally unsafe and unfit locations’ said Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. ‘It’s still an ongoing, full-fledged crisis.’”
One of the many delays in moving the refugees to safer ground is the possible existence of land mines in the lesser populated regions of Jamam. There are few roads leading into and out of the camps, making deliveries of food and medicine very difficult
The conflict in Sudan has been raging for decades, and even the secession of South Sudan has done little to resolve it. Both regions have been squabbling over the profits from Sudanese oil reserves, and rebel factions, opposition movements and militias keep springing up and threatening the lives of the people. The situation in the Nuba Mountains is similar to the “Lost Boys” mass flight; thousands of children are wandering the border looking for refuge. The new accord between Sudan and South Sudan over the exportation of oil has done little to end much of the strife, as four Nigerian peacekeepers were recently ambushed and killed by an unidentified party. The article goes on to say:
“According to the United Nations, 300,000 people have died because of the war. The Sudanese government says 10,000 have died. A peace agreement was signed between the government and one rebel group in 2011, but three other rebel groups have refused to sign.”
Situations like the conditions and the strife in Sudan can make anyone feel absolutely helpless, but that shouldn’t stop us from doing whatever we can to create a world where people no longer have to feel threatened by their own governments, or suffer and possibly die in miserable and unsafe conditions. The charities we sponsor at No More Poverty do great work to rescue people all over the world from perishing conditions of poverty, and giving a little support to organizations like Drop in the Bucket (which provides clean water to schools and communities in destitute regions) and International Surgical Mission Support (which provides free medical care to people in poor countries) may ultimately help cure the world of many of its evils.
Sources:
Gettleman, Jeffrey. "Child Refugees Die as Illnesses Sweep Camp In South Sudan." The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 July 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/07/world/africa/refugee-children-dying-at-alarming-rate-in-south-sudan-aid-groups-say.html?_r=1>.
Kushkush, Isma’il “Sudan: Peacekeepers Killed in Ambush” Nytimes.com http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/world/africa/nigerian-peacekeepers-killed-in-darfur-ambush.html?ref=sudan
I just read an incredibly disturbing article about the conditions for refugee children in South Sudan. It seems that thousands have been made ill from the horribly unsanitary conditions in the refugee camps.
According to Doctors without Borders, approximately three children die every day in the camps from diarrhea, malaria and other avoidable illnesses. The camp, which is located between Sudan and South Sudan, sits on a flood plain which turns into a veritable swamp during the heavy rains. Latrines overflow; everyone is constantly wet and bacterial infection runs riot. The conditions are so bad that there has been an attempt by the United Nations to relocate the refugees to safer grounds, but the constant arrival of new refugees in militarized zones forced a halt to the effort until the new arrivals had been moved out of danger. According to the article:
“’These are unequivocally unsafe and unfit locations’ said Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. ‘It’s still an ongoing, full-fledged crisis.’”
One of the many delays in moving the refugees to safer ground is the possible existence of land mines in the lesser populated regions of Jamam. There are few roads leading into and out of the camps, making deliveries of food and medicine very difficult
The conflict in Sudan has been raging for decades, and even the secession of South Sudan has done little to resolve it. Both regions have been squabbling over the profits from Sudanese oil reserves, and rebel factions, opposition movements and militias keep springing up and threatening the lives of the people. The situation in the Nuba Mountains is similar to the “Lost Boys” mass flight; thousands of children are wandering the border looking for refuge. The new accord between Sudan and South Sudan over the exportation of oil has done little to end much of the strife, as four Nigerian peacekeepers were recently ambushed and killed by an unidentified party. The article goes on to say:
“According to the United Nations, 300,000 people have died because of the war. The Sudanese government says 10,000 have died. A peace agreement was signed between the government and one rebel group in 2011, but three other rebel groups have refused to sign.”
Situations like the conditions and the strife in Sudan can make anyone feel absolutely helpless, but that shouldn’t stop us from doing whatever we can to create a world where people no longer have to feel threatened by their own governments, or suffer and possibly die in miserable and unsafe conditions. The charities we sponsor at No More Poverty do great work to rescue people all over the world from perishing conditions of poverty, and giving a little support to organizations like Drop in the Bucket (which provides clean water to schools and communities in destitute regions) and International Surgical Mission Support (which provides free medical care to people in poor countries) may ultimately help cure the world of many of its evils.
Sources:
Gettleman, Jeffrey. "Child Refugees Die as Illnesses Sweep Camp In South Sudan." The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 July 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/07/world/africa/refugee-children-dying-at-alarming-rate-in-south-sudan-aid-groups-say.html?_r=1>.
Kushkush, Isma’il “Sudan: Peacekeepers Killed in Ambush” Nytimes.com http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/world/africa/nigerian-peacekeepers-killed-in-darfur-ambush.html?ref=sudan
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