In South Sudan, survival is daily
struggle for ordinary citizens
South Sudan, located in the heart of Africa, is
the youngest nation in the world; it gained independence from Sudan in July
2011. Two years later, a civil war broke out, pitting the ruling Sudan People's
Liberation Army (SPLA) against the opposition; the conflict has since become a
brutal tribal war.
The UN estimates that there are 1.7 million
Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in the country, 75 percent of whom are
struggling to survive in the three states hardest-hit by conflict, Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei.
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), an
international Catholic charity, recently spoke with a pastoral worker in South
Sudan who asked to remain anonymous.
By Maria Lozano
What role does tribal culture play in the
conflict?
There is the mentality
that holds that the tribe is the most important social unit, and that
individual lives have to serve the tribes, as directed by councils of elders,
even today.
Many tribes coexist in
South Sudan, fighting for cows as symbols of power and wealth. Conflict has
never been rooted in hate or genocide; the pursuit of wealth was the cause of
any fighting.
In short, the people
of South Sudan lack a sense of national identity. Their allegiance to their
tribe comes first—and that often leads to conflict.
What is happening
today, however, is that the leaders of different tribes fight, not for cows,
but for political power and money (e.g. oil, timber, minerals). These elites
care more for their own advantage than for the well-being of the people, many
of whom are starving; inflation in the country has hit 800 percent!
Perhaps the worst
aspect of the conflict is that tribal leaders present their struggle for
political and economic power as an ethnic conflict—which it is definitely not.
What is the impact of the conflict on ordinary
citizens?
They have to leave
their lands when conflict erupts; they lose all their possessions—cattle,
homes, land. They become IDPs or they flee the country to become refugees. In
either case, they are forced to live in camps where there is lack of food and
water; where there are no schools—where, in short, there is no future.
Most of the families
have lost loved ones in the fighting; some have been recruited by force, even
children; women suffer rape and violence, and then are stigmatized because of
being violated.
There is a grave
shortage of medical care, in particular, and there are growing number of deaths
among the elderly, women and children. International aid falls far short.
What is the work you are doing in the country?
We work with the local
Catholic Church—training teachers, nurses, midwives, and agricultural workers.
We are also training pastoral agents, to prepare them for the work of
evangelization, as well as peace-building and reconciliation efforts.
We also operate
student centers. Students come from different tribes and they live and study
together, peacefully—building a mentality of unity among themselves as a
bulwark against ethnic hatred.
The result is a living
witness that unity and fraternity are possible in South Sudan.
Since its independence, ACN has supported
projects in South Sudan for more than $4.2M. The help went to pastoral aid,
Mass stipends, the building of Church infrastructure, as well as humanitarian
supplies.
With picture of displaced
children in South Sudan (©
ACN)
Editor’s Notes:
Directly under the
Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need supports
the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need.
ACN is a Catholic charity - helping to bring Christ to the world through
prayer, information and action.
Founded in 1947 by Father Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul
II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity,” the organization is now at work
in over 145 countries throughout the world.
The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including
providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church
buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since
the initiative’s launch in 1979, 43 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed
worldwide.
For more information contact Michael Varenne at
michael@churchinneed.org or call
718-609-0939 or fax718-609-0938. Aid to the Church in Need, 725 Leonard Street,
PO Box 220384, Brooklyn, NY 11222-0384. www.churchinneed.org
