Legacy of war in Akobo, South Sudan
By Alison Martin, Advocacy and Campaigns Manager, Oxfam in South Sudan.
Travelling up the Pibor River to Nyandit, an area two hours from Akobo town in South Sudan, I can see thatched roofs of tukuls (huts) emerge from the tall, brilliant green grasses that line the river bank; verdant shrubs and broad-branched trees cast shadows along the water’s edge. The abundant landscape makes it hard to understand why people here in Akobo struggle to find enough food.
Yet in 2010 the UN described Akobo as the hungriest place on earth. Almost half of the children in the region were malnourished. Despite its potential, this fertile land was not enough to protect its people from the ravages of war. In 2009, an inter-ethnic conflict forced many in Akobo to flee their homes and seek refuge in nearby Ethiopia or other parts of South Sudan. Thousands of people were killed in raids and revenge attacks between 2009 and 2013. Homes and crops were burnt to the ground.
In the wake of unspeakable violence and loss, people faced another shock just as they had slowly begun to rebuild their lives: in December 2013, internal divisions erupted into a conflict that quickly took on ethnic dimensions and spread across the country. As the war now enters its 21st month, over 2 million people have been forced from their homes and tens of thousands have travelled either to or via Akobo to reach the refugee camps of neighbouring Ethiopia. Over 73,000 people displaced by the war have settled in Akobo.
“After conflict broke out in 2013, many people came here,” 18 year old Nyadak tells me, sitting under a tree at Oxfam’s food distribution with her 6-month old, Nyamuch. “People here in Akobo helped in their homes. We felt this was our problem too; if we had something small we had to share it.”
Akobo, still scarred by the legacy of its own violence, was now suddenly faced with the fresh wounds of a new, terrible war, and thousands of fellow South Sudanese who needed support.
“We had a man and two women come to our house to stay with us from Bor. They stayed over three months then went to Ethiopia. It was difficult. We had to support them as well as our own family; we didn’t have enough food but we shared,” says Nyadak.
It’s a common story: South Sudanese sharing their homes and food with others, sometimes complete strangers. Keeping people alive and safe for days, weeks, months.
Malnutrition in Akobo has since decreased dramatically, due partly to food distributions and other vital nutrition programmes by organisations such as the International Medical Corps and Save the Children, combined with the sheer resilience and generosity of South Sudanese.
Oxfam has recently taken responsibility for food distributions in the area and ensures that food collection points are close to where people live. Previously, women had to walk for many hours or even days carrying heavy loads on their heads, risking rape, assault, and for the many who made the journey whilst pregnant, potential miscarriage.
“I woke up when the sun rose and started walking, carrying my five-year-old daughter on my shoulders,” says Nyayual, a mother of six who lives in Nyandit, many hours walk from the previous collection point — a walk that could take days in the rainy season. “I had to leave my other five children at home by themselves. I worried a lot about them being here alone,” says Nyayual.
Nyayual and I speak a few days before Oxfam’s food distribution is due to begin: the first that will be done close to Nyayual’s home, saving her from having to leave her family and undertake the risky journey.
“Today I am cooking fish for my family. I am very happy. When I receive my food here, I will start to dance, like this,” she says, raising her arms and swinging her hips.
Although Akobo has some crops, its agriculture has not recovered from years of war. Many fertile areas and most of Nyandit have been vacated and fields left fallow for more than five years.
The great beauty and tragedy of South Sudan is most strikingly rendered here: in the vast possibilities of this lush landscape and the hopeful resilience of the South Sudanese.
The people of Akobo, like millions across South Sudan, need peace in order to rebuild their lives.
For more information on our Work in South Sudan
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