Latest news with #internallydisplaced
Zawya
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
South Sudan: Mosso's last residents want security forces, patrols and help for displaced to return
Once, almost 400 people called Mosso, some 50 kilometers from Tambura, home. Isolation and years of insecurity-induced displacement have reduced the current population to 15 hardy souls. 'Killings and ambushes created fear and made this happen,' says one of them, Rebecca Evariste, a mother of nine. 'The rest have fled,' she adds, mentioning Yambio, Ezo, Nzara and Bagidi as some of their favoured destinations. Reduced numbers further increase the villagers' sense of being cut off, not least from goods and services. To get hold of even the most basic of necessities, they must go to a relatively distant market, at great risk. Their prospects of accessing healthcare are equally bleak. 'Even if you have money, it's just too dangerous to travel to the market, and if you are sick, you have to make do with whatever herbs you can find.' In fact, these difficulties are shared by several communities, representing different ethnic groups, in the greater Tambura area, with many having left their homes for a handful camps for internally displaced persons. While the primary responsibility for protecting civilians lies with the national government, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is doing its best to support efforts to keep citizens safe. In a bid to better protect as many civilians as possible from the increase of violence having been observed in this part of Western Equatoria, the peacekeeping mission has increased its patrols. Apart from almost forgotten, disappearing villages like Mosso, Blue Helmets visit all camps for internally displaced persons, regardless of what ethnic group those seeking shelter belong to. Hopefully, residents of these camps take as much comfort in seeing UN vehicles and friendly, impartial peacekeepers as the people of Mosso do. 'We have come to know and enjoy that calm is likely to remain for the next two or three days after the patrols and visits here. During that time, there will be no ambushes on the road,' says Ms. Evariste. Some of the people having been displaced from Mosso make the most of these windows of opportunity and relative security. One of them is William Anthony, who currently stays in Bagidi with his family. 'I came back yesterday to uproot cassava and harvest some farm produce, and because of the timing, I am confident that I will be able to return safely to my family' he says. Among the few remaining residents in Mosso, their course of action will largely depend on developments on the ground. 'Those who fled are suffering and the government should help them return. People are likely to come back if they see security forces being deployed and health workers return. Regular UN patrols, maybe once a week, will also help convince them,' says John Nkumbo, a father of seven whose family is separated from him, currently in Bagidi. The UNMISS patrol team leader, Major Lul Brhane, reassured Mr. Nkumbo, at least when it came to the latter part of his plea. 'We will continue our patrols. We are here because of you, because your safety remains our top priority.' Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
Zawya
31-07-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Holding on through multiple displacement: A journey of strength and survival amid conflict in Sudan
In the crowded gathering site at Al-Zaeem Al-Azhari School in Port Sudan, 41-year-old Marwa Hassan Saeed holds her daughter close—both weary from a long, painful journey of displacement. Once a teacher at an international school in Khartoum, Marwa's life was upended by conflict and crisis. A divorced mother of four, she has faced each challenge alone, including the daily struggles of caring for her youngest daughter, who lives with cerebral atrophy. Life was already difficult, but the outbreak of violence in mid-April 2023 turned it into a series of desperate moves. From Khartoum to Northern State, then to Madani, and finally to Port Sudan, Marwa and her children fled time and again to seek safety. Each step of the way, resources grew scarcer, hope harder to hold onto. Since the start of the current conflict, which has persisted for two years now, large numbers of civilians have been forced to flee, including people who were already internally displaced. As of 5 June 2025, over 7.7 million people have been internally displaced across Sudan, many of them uprooted multiple times as the conflict continues to escalate (Sudan situation). In Madani, Marwa's family had found a fragile sense of stability—until fighting erupted again. Displaced for the third time, Marwa arrived in Port Sudan with little more than her determination to keep her children safe. Her daughter, who typically gained only one kilogram per year due to her condition, lost half her body weight during the journey—her small body weakened by stress, malnutrition, and the complete absence of medical care. In Port Sudan, the family finally found a moment of relief, a much-needed support with kitchen ware. In February and March, right before the holy month of Ramadan, Marwa received essential kitchen supplies through a distribution led by UN Women in a partnership with SCEFA and with funding from the Government of Japan. This support enabled her to cook meals for her family and participate in communal food-sharing traditions—an especially important practice during Ramadan, when families and neighbors gather around large, shared plates to break their fast together. For Marwa, the distribution restored not just her ability to feed her children, but also her sense of dignity and connection to her community. Before the intervention, Marwa struggled to prepare proper meals for her children due to a complete lack of basic cooking utensils. With only limited items available in the overcrowded gathering site, preparing and sharing food, especially in a culturally appropriate way, was nearly impossible 'The cooking utensils I received made such a difference,' Marwa shared. 'When you are a mother trying to care for children in a place that is not your home, even the smallest support helps you stand again. I'm not the only one. There are so many women here who have lost everything and still wake up every morning to provide for their families. We just need a little more help to keep going.' Despite all she has endured, Marwa continues to show remarkable resilience. Her story is a testament to the courage of displaced women across Sudan who, even in the face of unimaginable hardship, continue to care for their children and rebuild their lives. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Women - Africa.
