Over one million displaced by South Sudan war

South Sudan government moves to retake key towns in an 'all-out civil war'.

A World Gone Mad

• No sooner does South Sudan gain independence than a new civil war breaks out.  Man cannot stop killing his fellow man.
• A media blackout - Just as with the Muslim genocide in Darfur against Christians, the major media tells you about only selected and approved news.  Now we have another major war with next to zero media coverage.

More than one million people have been forced from their homes by the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, the UN says.

Of these, 803,200 have been displaced within the country, and another 254,000 have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the latest UN report.

It warns that the situation is likely to get worse as the violence continues reports BBC News.

Fighting erupted between the forces of President Salva Kiir and troops loyal to his former deputy, Riek Machar, in December.

The two sides signed a ceasefire agreement in January, but sporadic fighting has continued.

Funny how wars always manage to
break out around oil fields.

 

Food Security

In its report, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the conflict had caused "a serious deterioration in the food security situation" leaving around 3.7 million people at high risk.

"Fighting between government and opposition forces has continued, especially in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile state, where towns and rural areas have been ravaged by the violence," it added.

The UN estimates that 4.9 million are in need of humanitarian assistance, but it warned that "the remote and dispersed placement sites make it difficult to reach many of South Sudan's conflict-affected people".

In its report, the UN says it has received only a quarter of the money it needs to respond to the growing crisis.

The violence erupted on 15 December between pro-government forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and soldiers backing Riek Machar, his former vice-president.

President Kiir is a member of South Sudan's largest ethnic group, the Dinka, while Mr Machar is from the Nuer community - the country's second largest.

The conflict has seen reports of mass killings along ethnic lines even though both men have prominent supporters in their rival's community. Thousands are feared to have died since the conflict began.

Four top South Sudanese politicians have since gone on trial accused of plotting a coup against the government and inciting an insurgency in South Sudan.


See more at The UK Telegraph

Conflict in South Sudan

The town of Bor has already changed hands three times in South Sudan's three weeks of civil war, and whoever controls the strategically important state capital will have the upper hand in the long-awaited peace negotiations. VICE was invited to embed with South Sudanese government forces pushing north to retake Bor from the rebels, but the rebels were lying in wait for us along the road, waiting to strike back.

The Dead Become Food
The body of a dead soldier lies on a street in Malakal, 497 km (308 miles) northeast of capital Juba, December 30, 2013. A spokesman for South Sudanese government troops in the country's oil capital Malakal says they put down a mutiny of troop, and are preparing for a further showdown with rebels nearby.
Image by: JAMES AKENA / REUTERS

Corrupt Government never has enough money for schools or libraries, but there is always plenty of cash for weapons to kill your political enemies.