South Sudan Project
Dear Editor: Many of you may have noticed South Sudan in the news recently. This African country, which gained independence in 2011, erupted in violence on December 15, 2013. Thousands of aid workers, volunteers, and foreign embassy personnel have been evacuated. In Juba, the South Sudanese capital, heavy gunfire broke out between the Dinka and Nuer tribes. These are the two largest tribes in the country and the tribes of the current President Mr. Salva Kiir and the former Vice President Mr. Riek Machar respectively. President Kiir dismissed Mr. Machar last July; they are longtime political rivals. Some called the violence on Dec. 15 an attempted coup by supporters of Machar. Others see it as long time tribal rivalries that have spun out of control.
The situation on the ground is shifting daily. There are several efforts to have a ceasefire as well as peace talks in surrounding countries, yet with so many political and tribal stakeholders to involve, it’s proving difficult. President Kiir recently declared a state of emergency for Unity and Jonglei states – areas where fighting has been concentrated and rebels have taken over some towns. About 180,000 people have been displaced nationwide by the conflict. United Nations peacekeeping forces are working to protect civilians in several cities and hundreds more peacekeepers are scheduled to arrive over the next few weeks. There are reports of 1,000 or more dead, mass graves, and appalling human rights violations.
I was on my way to South Sudan on Dec. 15, just as the violence erupted. I was going to volunteer for a month with the Anchorage-based Alaska Sudan Medical Project, who works in the village of Old Fangak, South Sudan. When the Juba airport closed and the American Embassy began evacuating Americans in South Sudan, ASMP staff decided that it would not be sending in any more volunteers for some time. We worked to charter planes directly to Old Fangak from a Kenyan town on the South Sudan border and extracted the five ASMP volunteers who were already at work in the village. Volunteers were working to build the foundation for a new tuberculosis clinic, drill water wells, manage the agriculture microloan program, and provide medical training to local South Sudanese. While its rural location makes Old Fangak a relatively safe place, things are changing quickly. This is the first time that ASMP has had to evacuate all its volunteers since its founding in 2007.
I hope the violence and human rights violations come under control as soon as possible. I will be watching the news and hoping that there is a way out for this new nation that held so much promise. I feel frustrated about my canceled trip, but it pales in comparison to the grief that citizens of South Sudan must feel as their country is on the verge of another civil war. I hope to be able to visit South Sudan in the future and will be following this issue closely over the coming months. I want to thank those in Sitka who have supported this project and encouraged me in my efforts to volunteer with ASMP. Instead of spending the New Year in South Sudan, I came home to Sitka and am enjoying some time with family and friends before I return to graduate school at Georgetown University next week.
Penny Gage,
Sitka High School Class of 2004,
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Class of 2008
