Intern Blog Series: The Issue of Humanitarian Aid and Political Cooperation

    South Sudan broke off from Sudan in 2011 and formed an independent state. They experienced two years of peace but then a civil war broke out between two ethnic groups and has escalated to more. The young men of South Sudan were brought up being taught how to fight, as they were a part of the independence movement, and is now what they know as adults. The African Union has now put out reports of rape, mass killings and even forced cannibalism on the citizens of the country. Since the conflict began there have been many cases of starvation. However, just recently the amount of people at a starvation level got so high that international attention has been brought to the conflict. A famine has now been declared in many areas of the country. It is estimated by UNICEF that 250,000 children are malnourished and they expect this number to rise with each day. In addition, Uganda now faces a refugee crisis as the South Sudanese pour in looking for safety and food. The amount estimated by experts needed to assist those that are starving has reached an upwards of $205 million. But, the issue of sustainability has been brought up. If humanitarian relief efforts are able to raise this money it is unknown how long people will be able to survive on it. Also, the government in South Sudan has made it next to impossible for peacekeepers to obtain visas to come into the country. They have stopped aid vehicles and prevented them from getting to those in need as well. Like Syria and similar conflicts, many believe that for humanitarian efforts to be successful and sustainable a political compromise must be reached. But, this does not seem likely to happen and is difficult to achieve, because there is much uncertainty about what is to come. We have seen the devastating effects of conflicts in which the government or conflicting groups refuse to work with relief efforts. Leaders need to take a stand and have some sort of cooperation when it comes to aid efforts in order to prevent more innocent lives being lost. Anne Marie]]>