---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 3:06 PM Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] ‘We can run away from bombs, but we can’t run away from hunger’ To: Group <[email protected]>
1. ‘We can run away from bombs, but we can’t run away from hunger’ By Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada and Khairunissa Dhala, Amnesty International’s South Sudan Researcher Yida Refugee Camp, South Sudan – 16 April, 2012 For the past 10 months, some 20,000 refugees from Sudan’s conflict-ravaged Southern Kordofan State have fled across the increasingly volatile border to Yida, an isolated refugee camp just inside newly independent South Sudan. They have escaped a terrifying campaign of aerial bombardments and ground attacks unleashed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which has been fighting pitched battles since last June against the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army-North (SPLA-N) for control of Southern Kordofan. We have been in Yida for several days and have heard many refugees describe the fear, violence and hardship that pushed them to leave their homes; to set off on foot for gruelling journeys lasting several days under eastern Africa’s harsh sun and unrelenting April heat. And still they come. In the past week, new arrivals at Yida have increased substantially. This morning we interviewed several refugees among a group of more than 200 who have come in the past two days alone. Most have fled with their entire families – babies and young children as well as the elderly. Some spoke of particular attacks in recent weeks that propelled them to make the final and very difficult decision to leave Southern Kordofan. But more than anything, they all spoke of mounting hunger as the final straw. One man even said that he and his family had become used to running and hiding in caves in the mountains to flee the aerial bombardment. But as he said, “we can’t run away from hunger.” Another man, aged 30, has just arrived here with his two wives and eight children, his sister and her five children, and his mother and elderly grandmother. All of the children are under the age of 14. He said that “the only place any of us want to be is home, but when your children are crying all of the time because there is nothing to eat – you have to go somewhere else. The ongoing fighting has caused food supplies to dwindle and run out. We spoke with several farmers this morning who said that because of the constant bombing they have simply not been able to cultivate or harvest crops. And the Sudanese government has blocked international humanitarian assistance from reaching SPLA-N controlled areas of Southern Kordofan. Desperation has led people to forage for tree bark, leaves and anything else edible to help them stay alive. Their plight has become all the more desperate because the rainy season is approaching. Many areas will soon be submerged by the rains. Other areas will be cut-off and inaccessible. If people are going to make it to Yida, they know that they have to come now. Refugees we spoke with told us many others will follow. The situation has become increasingly desperate in recent weeks as the relationship between Sudan and South Sudan has deteriorated dramatically. Disagreements over contested oil-rich areas along their troubled border have erupted into cross-border incursions, bombing sorties, occupations and inflammatory rhetoric that seem to have both governments set on full-out war. It is just one more reason to try to reach a place of safety – before things spiral completely out of control. http://livewire.amnesty.org/2012/04/16/we-can-run-away-from-bombs-but-we-can%E2%80%99t-run-away-from-hunger/langswitch_lang/es/#more-5503 END1 2. NUBA MOUNTAINS PREPARES FOR SPLA-NORTH DAY Sudan Catholic Radio Network Monday, 16 April 2012 14:18 The local administration of Heiban, in Nuba Mountains, conducted Monday a meeting to prepare for the celebration of SPLA-North Day on May 16. SPLM-North political leader in Heiban County Younan Albarut led the meeting. He said the participants have agreed to elect the committee to run the carnival. Mr Albarut added that the party leadership is informing all payam administrators to mobilize their people to contributing something for the celebration. He urged everyone to take part in the SPLA-North memorial. Mr Albarut added that the event celebrates the freedom of Nuba Mountains and other marginalized areas in Sudan. The meeting was attended by NGOs, business people and local administrators from various payams in the region. http://catholicradionetwork.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6534:yei-diocese-mourns-senior-priest&catid=2:south-sudan&Itemid=84 END2 ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan, South Sudan Advisor [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +211 919 695 362 (South Sudan mobile) +27 82 050 1235 (South Africa mobile) +44 750 304 1790 (UK/international) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.co.za/group/sudan-john-ashworth -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob?hl=en.
