Living Under Siege in Blue Nile Since September 2011, civilians in Blue Nile have been targeted by the Sudanese government in a systematic campaign of collective punishment that intensified last January when the government led ground attacks.
1. The photos, taken by Sudanese activist and artist Elshafei Dafalla<http://www.shafeiart.com/> of Harbor International during his trip to Sudan last fall illustrate the destructive impact of the campaign on civilians living in Blue Nile. They are accompanied by quotes from Zainab Ali Ahmed, a Sudanese mother, who described the realities of living in fear from government bombings and dealing with food insecurity, lack of medical care, and a shortage of education. Lastly, they include information from an anonymous NGO working in Blue Nile state, published in a new Enough Project humanitarian brief<http://enoughproject.org/reports/humanitarian-needs-assessment-sudans-blue-nile-state> . 2. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342934113> 3. These children, in Sudan’s Blue Nile state, demonstrate to the photographer how they seek cover from aerial bombardment which has come to be a routine feature of their lives. Since June 2011, civilians in Blue Nile have endured the consequences of a Sudanese government collective punishment campaign. Over 150,000 have fled to neighboring Ethiopia and South Sudan, but many remain, living under siege. 4. Wagala shafeiart <http://youtube.com/shafeiart> · 8 months ago <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOTWJsKwR58> 5. Zainab Ali Ahmed, seen above, is originally from Yabous, Blue Nile, Sudan. Fighting and aerial bombardment forced her to flee her home with her family to a forest nearby. She gave birth alone and without medical aid. “This is the suffering we experience. We don’t have rest,” she explains. 6. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342933943> 7. As seen above, some communities have built make-shift bomb shelters out of tires and holes in the ground to provide a safe haven from aerial bomb raids. Others live in the forest and run for cover when they hear bombers overhead. 8. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342784205> 9. In the dry season of early 2013, the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, shifted their strategy from aerial bombardment to include major ground attacks. The scorched-earth tactics have ruined arable farming lands and burned villages, clearing whole populations. The photo above illustrates the remnants of a home destroyed by the violence. 10. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342865746> 11. The destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals has left both the displaced and host communities in need of shelter. Many people are living in collapsing abandoned homes, in sheds, under covered forests providing protection from bombers, or out in the open. 12. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342865676> 13. Despite the popular narrative about Muslim attacks on Christians, the government bombings have not distinguished between religious groups. In fact, Malik Agar, the rebel SPLM-North chairman is a Muslim. 14. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342933663> 15. Beyond shelter, food insecurity is the most pressing need in Blue Nile state. Many families have felt the pains of food insecurity for months and are unable to buy, grow, or find food. A dry spell in June and July of 2013 burnt the first seeds that were planted in large swathes of SPLA-N controlled areas, affecting the harvest of 75 percent of the population. 16. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342865536> 17. As a coping mechanism for food shortages, families are only eating one meal a day. Anonymous researchers report that many are only eating porridge. Others dig in the forest for tree roots. Along with wild fruits, leaves, and roots, some families with livestock sell or slaughter their animals, a rare act in a community that prizes cattle. General observations of hair and skin color indicate malnutrition among all ages, particularly for children under five. 18. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342892314> 19. Some families use seeds to plant kitchen gardens. If their crops were not been ruined by drought, flood or burnt by bombs, this small scale cultivation provide supplements to the limited food supplies available in the region. This woman has been able to maintain a small garden. However, she remains at constant risk of an Antonov bombing raid. 20. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342783535> 21. Access to clean water sources has become a major issue in Blue Nile. Anonymous researchers estimate that 40 to 50 percent of water points are broken due to a lack of maintenance. Many boreholes are not functional since communities lack the spare parts needed to fix them. Women and children have been forced to walk distances of three to five hours or more in search of clean water sources. These treks put women at risk of assault and attack. The absence of clean water has resulted in skin infections and poor hygiene practices. 22. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342892114> 23. Without access to a hospital, midwife or medicine, Zainab gave birth to her youngest daughter on an abandoned road by Wagala River while on the run from an Antonov bombing. Existing hospitals, such as the maternity ward at the Yabus Primary Health Care Center supported by GOAL (shown above), have been destroyed by bombs and abandoned. To seek medical attention, most internally displaced persons, or IDPs, and host communities must travel roughly 65 kilometers to either Doro or Jammam. 24. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342864926> 25. Without access to formal medicine, many communities rely on traditional forms of medicine. This man is a traditional healer. Many use their own knowledge of local vegetation. Instead of soap, the bark of the Laloab tree is boiled and used to wash a woman who has recently given birth. 26. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342783375> 27. Zainab believes that her region needs two things: a hospital and a school. Even before conflict began in 2011, Blue Nile did not have a government-organized school system. Education was supported solely by international organizations that provided educational materials such as the math booklet seen above. 28. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342783315> 29. The targeting of schools by Antonov bombers has destroyed the few existing educational facilities in the region, including the SIC/Secondary School in Yabus, Blue Nile State (pictured above). Since children of Blue Nile have not had access to an education for over two years now, mothers like Zainab, fear that their children will grow up in the forest with no benefits, potential, or opportunities for the future. 30. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342783285> 31. International organizations are largely unable to provide civilians with much needed shelter, food, medicine, and education. Since the Sudanese government denies humanitarian aid organizations access to rebel-held areas of Blue Nile state, a full understanding of the population's needs is unknown. International organizations are largely unable to provide civilians with emergency services. 32. ENOUGH Project <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07> · 3 days ago <http://www.flickr.com/photos/7545702@N07/11342932903> 33. Over the past few years, the Blue Nile population has shown incredible strength and resilience to the conflict situation surrounding them. Zainab still hopes for a better future for her young daughter named after the Walaga River she was born beside. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14ooKehOz_uSYChUSjNPTPctSmZszQ0KkJ3%3DnVQxgac49wg%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
