South Sudan: ICRC calls for urgent action to avert disaster
As the world’s newest country nears its fourth year of existence, South Sudan is facing a disastrous reality.
Extreme levels of violence in and around Leer over the last month have forced an estimated 100,000 people to flee their homes and to seek safety in low-lying swamps far from civilization.
This comes on top of around two million people already displaced during the past eighteen months since the crisis began. For many, this is the second or third time they’ve fled the violence.
“Now we are living in the river, in the bush. They took all our cows, they burned all the food.
They took all the ladies and they even killed all the young kids plus the girls,” recalls a 19 year old woman.
A community organiser has also witnessed and fled such atrocities: “I’ve seen this with my own eyes. Even today, 3 to 4 people who were injured were brought here.”
Beyond the trauma of the violence, the fighting is also blocking people from farming their land which will compound desperate food shortages in the months ahead.
“Now we are going into the rainy season,” explains ICRC’s Caroline Christen, “which means if they haven’t had the chance to plant their seeds until now, they don’t have any food stocks for the coming months.”
“Life for the people in bush is very difficult,” adds the community organiser, “because they have nothing to eat at all. Up to the end of the month, people will die from starvation if there is no assistance.”
To alleviate this crisis, ICRC has been flying in food rations, protective tarps and seeds to help 6,000 people.
The ICRC is also medically evacuating dozens of civilians and fighters wounded in the fighting and providing medical and surgical care.
To sustain and increase this life-saving work, the ICRC is appealing for an additional 23 million Swiss francs (25 million USD), to the already agreed budget of 149m Swiss francs. The extra funds would enable ICRC to distribute food to up to 340,000 people and increase seed distributions and cattle vaccination. This makes South Sudan the second largest ICRC operation worldwide, after Syria.
Shotlst
Location: Leer, South Sudan
Length: 4:38
Format: HD mov H264
Producer: Jason Straziuso & Nicola Fell
Camera: Jacob Zocherman
Sound: English
ICRC ref: AV315N
Filming Date: May 26 2015
Copyright: ICRC access all
0:00 Aerial shots of displaced people
0:20 ICRC plane landing and food sacks being offloaded
1:02 Various shots of displaced people receiving food rations
1:30 SOUNDBITE Displaced woman (in English):
“Now we are living in the river, in the bush. They took all our cows, they burned all the food for civilians. They took all the ladies and they even killed all the young kids plus the girls.”
1:49 Burnt houses
2:06 Various of displaced women
2:25 Simon Kai receiving aid
2:48 SOUNDBITE Displaced man, community organiser (in English):
“What I’m talking now I’m talking through what I’ve seen. I’ve seen them with my own eyes. Today even you have even three to four people who were injured who were brought here from the village.”
3:15 Displaced people receiving aid
3:32 SOUNDBITE Caroline Christen, Field Delegate, ICRC
“Now we are going into the rainy season which also means if they haven’t had the chance to plant their seeds until now they don’t have any food stocks for the coming months. So we’re going towards a very difficult period for the people of South Sudan, coupled with an economic instability which is certainly not going to help the country and this people.”
3:55 Various shots of grain being distributed
4:16 SOUNDBITE Displaced man, community organiser (in English):
“Life for the people in bush is very difficult because they have nothing to eat at all. Up to the end of the month, people will die from starvation if there is no assistance.”
4:27 Various of sick person being medically evacuated by ICRC plane
4:38 END
