Six months after independence, renewed violence in South Sudan
11/01/2012 4:00:52 PM
Fierce tribal violence in the state of Jonglei in South Sudan has forced tens of thousands of people to flee, leaving them in desperate need of food, shelter and assistance.
The fighting broke out in early January between the Lou Nuer tribe and the rival Murle tribe in a remote area of Jonglei, when some 6,000 armed Lou Nuer members attacked the main Murle town of Pibor. It is estimated that more than 30,000 members of the Murle community have been displaced and hundreds of people killed in this new wave of violence, and that more than 1,000 people have died in cattle raids, abductions and counter attacks over the past seven months.
Act for Peace’s partner, the Sudan Council of Churches, reports that churches have been burned down, and a clinic, secondary school and other buildings destroyed.
South Sudan became Africa’s newest nation in July last year after a referendum agreed under a 2005 peace deal which ended decades of civil war.
Act for Peace’s partners have worked in the region for decades, including providing peace building training to create a culture of peace between warring tribes. Act for Peace will continue to support this ongoing work, as well as emergency relief in response to the latest violence, including provision of relief supplies — including food, mosquito nets and children’s school materials — to the displaced population.
Please click here to read more about peace building work in South Sudan supported by Act for Peace.
