AFRICA/SOUTH SUDAN - The drama of Internal Displaced People, mainly mothers and children, young girls, often widows

Monday, 3 July 2017

CUAMM

Nyal (Agenzia Fides) - "From Juba by plane to Rumbek, a former state of the Lakes, and from here by helicopter for 40 minutes, to Nyal, in the south of the former Unity state. You cannot travel by car, it is too dangerous". Don Dante Carraro's journey continues in southern Sudan (see Fides 27/6/2017). "It is the border area between government forces and rebels, and guerrillas take place every day", says the priest, who is the director of ong Doctors with Africa-Cuamm, to Fides. "There are about 70,000 people here, who are very poor and without health care. Over the past two years, many have fled to Nyal to escape the drama of the war, clashes and abuses. They are called Internal Displaced People (IDPs) and are mostly mothers and children, young girls, often widows who have been subjected to violence and humiliation, with 3-4 small children. They are hidden in the immense swamps that border the Nile, in fortune huts, covered by white nylon cloths provided by humanitarian organizations".
"Some of them", continues Don Dante, "we have managed to reach after an hour of canoeing. It is dramatic to see the lives of these poor young moms. Abandoned, hungry, and without any health care". It is here that Cuamm, together with local staff, is focusing on providing food, vaccinations and essential medicines. It is a major logistics/health work because they are really difficult areas: there are no roads, only immense and infinite swamps. (DC/AP) (Agenzia Fides, 3/7/2017)


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