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| Refugees at SOS in Malakal. From SOS Archives |
February 7, 2011: Armed clashes between militias and army troops in southern
Sudan have prompted 150 families to seek safe shelter in the SOS Children’s Village in Malakal. The violence, which reportedly has killed 50 people, is fueled by southern Sudan’s successful move, through referendum, to secede from North Sudan.
On February 7 Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir announced his acceptance of the vote’s results.
SOS, in Sudan since 1978, has a history of offering protection to thousands of children and families escaping civil conflict. The organization is respected by all opposing factions in the conflict, which contributes to its effectiveness.
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| Children at the entrance to SOS Malakal. From SOS Archives |
Celebration of an Independent South Sudan Marred by Violence
Sadly, on the day the violence broke out, the children at SOS-Malakal -- one of two SOS Children’s Villages in Sudan -- had been preparing festivities to celebrate the birth of their new nation.
The Children’s Village at Malakal remains unharmed, but on Friday, February 4, the children could hear the sound of nearby gunshots. A shell fired by a tank into a neighboring building caused slight damage, and a stray bullet hit an SOS house for teenage girls. Despite this, the Village Director describes the security situation as relatively stable.
The town of Malakal has no electricity, but SOS Children's Village owns a functioning generator, the fuel for which is being rationed because the town has been cut off from supply routes. SOS-Malakal is concerned about the water supply, which is usually provided by government authorities. SOS also fears that, because town markets are closed, a delivery of 150 emergency food packages that SOS-Khartoum sent to SOS-Malakal may have been lost to looters. A second delivery is being prepared to ensure that the families currently staying at SOS-Malakal are provided with basic necessities.
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| Refugees cooking at SOS Malakal. From SOS Archives |
Help SOS Stay the Course in Areas of Conflict
For more than six decades, SOS Children’s Villages has managed to raise vulnerable children and provide emergency food, shelter, and medical care to uprooted families in trouble spots around the globe.
You can help SOS give love and safe shelter to a child who would otherwise have neither. Make a donation, sponsor a child, or become an SOS Global Village Builder to learn about the four principles of SOS while providing loving homes for children and strong communities for families.
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