Shot At, Starving and Alone, 9000 Children Flee South Sudan

Thursday, May 18, 2017

International humanitarian agency World Vision is alarmed at the staggering number of unaccompanied children crossing the border into Uganda from war-torn South Sudan.

World Vision has documented more than 9000 cases of unaccompanied children entering Uganda over the past 10 months. Unless conflict ceases, the agency warns, Uganda will be soon be home to more than 10,000 unaccompanied refugee children.

In Uganda, World Vision Australia chief advocate Tim Costello said children travelling alone through South Sudan and Uganda were extremely vulnerable to violence and abuse.

“There is no sadder evidence of the extent of violence and hunger in South Sudan than the sight of children crossing borders without parents or family,” Mr Costello said.

“They have been shot at, they have seen their parents killed, they are hungry, they are dressed in rags, and too often they have been abused along the way. It is horrific and heartbreaking.”

Mr Costello appealed to Australians to open their hearts to people fleeing conflict, drought and famine in South Sudan and across East Africa.

South Sudan has become the world's fastest growing refugee crisis with more than 1.8 million refugees, including one million children, seeking shelter in Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic.

Almost 900,000 have fled into Uganda – a figure that is expected to pass one million soon.

At Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, Yumbe district, northern Uganda, now the world’s largest refugee settlement with 270,000 people, World Vision has documented the arrival of 6057 unaccompanied minors and separated children since July 2016.

At the fast-growing Imvepi settlement, Arua district, sheltering 84,000 people, World Vision has documented 3098 unaccompanied minors and separated children.

“Every day, World Vision is registering more than 100 separated and unaccompanied minors at Imvepi refugee settlement,” said Gilbert Kamanga, World Vision Uganda national director.

“The majority of these children saw their parents being killed, while others lost touch with their families once fighting broke out. Some of them walk for more than a week to get to Uganda, with nothing to eat. This is one of the worst forms of violence against children. It must stop. Peace needs to prevail in South Sudan.”

World Vision is overseeing case management and identification of separated refugee children and unaccompanied minors at Bidi Bidi and Imvepi. Working with partner agencies, World Vision has also arranged interim foster care support for more than 2500 unaccompanied minors and has helped more than 1000 separated children to re-unite with relatives.

Uganda has been receiving more than 2000 refugees from South Sudan daily – 86 per cent of them women and children, according to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.

But the humanitarian response is significantly underfunded.

In 2016, the humanitarian response for South Sudanese refugees in Uganda received just 40 per cent of the $251 million requested by the UN. In a joint statement on 15 May, the UNHCR and World Food Programme appealed for $1.4 billion to provide life-saving aid until the end of 2017, but the response plan so far remains only 14 per cent funded.

World Food Programme executive director David Beasley said the suffering of the South Sudanese people was “unimaginable”.

World Vision Uganda has appealed for $20 million to meet the needs of more than 898,000 refugees, and additional new arrivals and vulnerable host community members over the next 12 months in the West Nile region. World Vision Uganda supported more than 661,000 refugees and host community members in the area last month alone.

Famine was formally declared in parts of South Sudan in February. According to the UN, Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen are close to crossing a food insecurity threshold that will also lead to famine.

For interviews, contact: Stuart Rintoul, World Vision Australia, +61 (0) 407 241 492

To learn more, go to: worldvision.com.au/eastafrica

Picture: Refugee boy, Imvepi, Uganda, May 2017.

Kristy Allen-Shirley, World Vision.

 

Media Releases, Refugees, South Sudan, Tim Costello, Uganda

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