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| Playing at SOS Children's Villages in Sudan. Photo from SOS Archives |
April 8, 2011: The 103 SOS children and staff have returned to the SOS Children’s Village in Malakal, Sudan, which had to be evacuated March 12 after outside violence spilled over its walls. In the days ahead, around-the-clock guards will provide the necessary security at the SOS Village. The administrative building and village hall have since been temporarily rearranged into makeshift homes to more securely accommodate the two families whose houses were seriously damaged.
After a thorough cleaning of the SOS Village and distributing of supplies, the ten families were able to go back. Since the construction materials need to be sent from Khartoum, renovation will take some time. Also, the heavy rainfall typical of the season in Sudan may hinder the transportation of materials to the Village.
The return of the children coincides with the start of the school year on April 15. All the children have been getting ready for the first day of school and spending their last moments of free time playing inside the Village.
The Malakal markets recovered from last month's clashes as well, despite many business owners closing their doors and heading north.
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| Woman on mule carrying water in Sudan. Photo by Felix Sarrazin |
Fragile Situation in Southern Sudan
The status of the food crisis and violence in Sudan is most dire in the western part of the Upper Nile, near Malakal. As southern Sudan prepares to form a new nation in early July, aid for displaced persons and returnees, including south Sudanese children without parental care in the north, is a concern.
About 80,000 people fled violence in the Upper Nile region of southern Sudan between January and March; some 34,000 other southern Sudanese also fled their homes as the violence increased over the last two weeks. However, about 264,000 people have flocked to the south from the north since the splitting of the country became inevitable.
Fate of Displaced Children a Concern
The National Council for Child Welfare in northern Sudan and the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Welfare in southern Sudan recently conducted a study on the whereabouts of Sudanese children without parental care, including children of southern Sudanese origin who currently live in the north. The study estimated about 2,000 children will be displaced because of political conflict, but authorities will look for strategies to oversee a safe return of these children to their families.
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| Two girls smiling at SOS Sudan. Photo by Rafif Ben Messalem |
Southern Sudan’s ten states announced that the review of their interim constitution is complete, with the draft report to be published in about a week. They also mentioned that the mandate for the peacekeeping mission known as the United Nation’s Missions in Sudan (UNMIS) expires on April 30. The U.N. will discuss the mission’s future after southern Sudan officially secedes.
SOS is thankful that the children are safe and secure at the Village in Malakal but continues to monitor the security situation. Help protect children not only in Sudan, but all over the world, by becoming a Global Village Builder. For as little as $12 per month, you can give the security of a loving home and family to children who truly need it.
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