This weekend the creation of South Sudan – the world’s newest country – was met with jubilation in the streets of its capital Juba, where thousands of South Sudanese celebrated their long-awaited separation from the north after decades of brutal civil war.
Yet the world’s 193rd country begins its life facing immense challenges. The Republic of South Sudan will be one of the poorest countries in the world and one of the worst places to live on earth, especially for women and children.
Decades of civil war have left South Sudan devastated, without infrastructure, with no proper government and with some of the worst health statistics in the world*:
- South Sudan has the highest infant mortality rate in the world – 102 deaths per 1000 live births
- It has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world – 2054 deaths per 100,000 live births
- A woman in South Sudan has a one in six chance of dying during the course of her lifetime from complications during pregnancy or delivery
- A 15 year-old girl has more chance of dying in childbirth than completing school.
Thousands of South Sudanese, who fled during the height of the conflict, are now returning to their homeland with hope of a better future. Yet this sudden influx is crippling the already fragile infrastructure and placing a huge strain on resources which are already severely limited.
Despite the 2005 peace agreement, which helped secure South Sudan’s independence, the region still remains vulnerable to regular and devastating attacks from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) who are destroying villages and abducting children on a weekly basis. Boys as young as nine are being recruited as servants. By the time they reach 11 they are armed with guns and working as child soldiers, many of whom are instructed to kill members of their own family. Girls are abducted and used as sex slaves.
On the eve of South Sudan’s independence I met Martin Bell, an ambassador for UNICEF, who travelled to South Sudan in March to investigate the current state of the region. He remained hopeful for a country he acknowledged faced a difficult journey ahead. “A new country has to be a moment of hope,” he said. “South Sudan is the victim of a long war, and war stops development. This country needs intensive care and it needs our help.”
Despite the obvious challenges South Sudan faces, there is real hope that this country can develop and thrive. “Every penny donated will make a difference to this country,” Bell said. “We are building it brick by brick.”
Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director, states that: “ … children who have known only war now have a chance to know peace. We must not fail them.”
Children of South Sudan urgently need our help now. To support UNICEF’s child survival projects in South Sudan text ‘SUDAN’ to 70007 or go to www.unicef.org.uk/southsudanappeal
* Source: UNICEF
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