 |
| SOS family in Sudan. Photo by Patrick Wittmann |
March 15, 2011: Heavy fighting on the premises of the SOS Children’s Villages in Malakal in Southern
Sudan on Saturday, March 12, prompted SOS to move the children and staff to safety. The 103 evacuees are staying at a secure location along the White Nile, far from the shooting. Since the airport is closed, being next to the river could facilitate further evacuation if it becomes necessary.
The skirmish took place on Saturday when rebels fighting the southern Sudan army gained access to SOS in Malakal and took cover in one of the family houses. Soldiers from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, or SPLA, then surrounded the rebel group.
According to Doris Kirchebner, head of fund development and communications at SOS Children's Villages International, the fighting began while the children and staff were still inside.
"We have heard that they entered one house and occupied it and it was possible to move the children to another house," she told an Associated Press reporter. "What we know is that the whole compound was surrounded by SPLA soldiers. It was not possible for anyone to get in or get out."
 |
| SOS children in from of the Village in Malakal. Photo from SOS Archives |
Keeping Children Safe
As reported in The Canadian Press, SOS Malakal Village Director Alwock Dok said southern security forces ordered the children to evacuate while the fighters were still inside the SOS compound.
Ministers in the South Sudanese government and the governor of the Upper Nile State, of which Malakal is the capital, have worked personally to ensure the children’s basic needs are being met. Fighting on the village grounds continued on Sunday but has since ceased. The rebels were ousted.
The SOS families and staff left all belongings behind as they fled the Village. Although banks have been shut down, the SOS national office managed to transfer much needed cash to SOS Malakal Village Director Alwock Dok to provide for the children and staff.
Dok and SOS National Director Ali Mahdi are in close contact with authorities. All parties are working to assess damage to the Village and ensure that it and its surroundings are free of weapons. Only when the safety of the children and staff can be guaranteed will they return home.
If violence continues, SOS will secure other temporary housing in a safe area of Malakal. If needed, SOS will evacuate the children to Juba, southern Sudan’s capital.
Not the First Time Bullets Have Sent SOS Children Cowering Under Their Beds
Dok said the children have found themselves in cross fires before. "When it happens, the children hide under the beds so the bullets pass by."
Escalating clashes across southern Sudan, of which this fight is one example, are stirring fear about regional stability in the lead up to Sudan’s secession, scheduled to take place on July 9.
Despite northern Sudan’s acceptance of January’s referendum, which granted southern Sudan independence, hundreds have been killed in southern Sudan since the vote. The violence is complicated, involving tribal animosities and militia groups that the southern Sudanese have accused northern Sudan of funding in order to destabilize the oil-rich south.
You can help hapless child victims of violence in Sudan and elsewhere by becoming an SOS Global Village Builder. For as little as $12 a month, you make the dream of a home and a loving family come true for children in need.
Want to learn more about SOS? Sign up for our eNewsletter.