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Crisis in South Sudan since 2013

In December 2013 a conflict between the Dinka and Nuer tribes, which had been brewing for a long time, escalated into open violence.

More than 10,000 people have since lost their lives; over a million have been displaced and are seeking refuge elsewhere. Forced to leave behind all their belongings, the refugees not only lost their properties, but also their sources of income.

The people of South Sudan are now on the brink of a famine, with many hundreds of thousands already suffering from severe malnutrition. With the onset of the country’s rainy season, the food situation was further compounded in April and May. Heavy rains caused flooding and made many roads impassable, hampering efforts to get aid to the people. To make matters worse, many people were forced to abandon fields and property to flee the violence, and so are no longer able to cultivate the land.

Families that have not been displaced often shelter friends and relatives, meaning they now have to provide food in many cases for more than ten people per household. The prices for food and other products have already started to go up. Access to clean drinking water and sanitary facilities is a major problem, the consequences are malnutrition and disease. The mortality rate of children below the age of five is very high, ranging at 231 per 1,000 live births—which compares to less than four in Germany. In addition, more than one in four children in South Sudan is malnourished.