“We just want to go home to live our own lives” – South Sudan Visit Report

When South Sudan gained independence in 2011, it also inherited a legacy of violence, inequality and poverty. There was little accountability or justice for crimes committed during the previous war, and insufficient reconciliation to tackle unsolved tensions and grievances.

Now in its fifth year of civil war, rebel groups have proliferated along ethnic or tribal lines into localised militia, causing further disruption and devastation. Ceasefire agreements continue to be broken as the political elite has failed to take effective action to end the suffering. The most recent ceasefire agreement has reportedly been upheld by the SPLA but not by SPLA-IO.

In our latest report, HART’s partner Archbishop Moses Deng from the Diocese of Wau sets out his suggestions on how the government could restabilise the security sector. We also met and discussed similar issues with camp leaders and individuals from two Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps set up in the last few years as fighting between cattle raiders and farmers escalated. Food rations, lack of medical supplies and no education facilities were common concerns for the people here.

Please read the full report here.