JUBA, South Sudan — Since South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 the country has struggled to find peace. Renewed tensions in December 2013 created a massive humanitarian crisis within the country. The newly formed state military split apart as former rebels embraced previous loyalties to rebel leaders rather than upholding their commitments to protect the South Sudanese state. As a result women and girls have experienced increasing attacks from state military and rebel soldiers alike. According to U.N. observers, sexual violence experienced by women and girls in South Sudan are some of the worst global incidents.
1.8 million people have been displaced as a result of fighting that began on December 15, 2013 between people of the Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups. President Salva Kiir belongs to the Dinka ethnic group, while the former Vice President Riek Machar belongs to the Nuer ethnic group. A conflict between the two leaders sparked the fighting. Beginning in January 2014 the East African Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, better known as IGAD, has been working to secure a peace between the fighting factions.
Violence began in the capital city of Juba and has been spreading across the country into the Greater Upper Nile Region provinces such as, Jonglei and Unity which are home to a significant portion of South Sudan’s oil fields. Fighting is exacerbated by the fact that a majority of the profits collected from oil exports do not go towards helping local populations or development efforts.
Of the 1.8 million people displaced by the conflict, 1.35 million have stayed within South Sudan. Approximately 100,000 of those internally displaced people have chosen to reside at U.N. camps stationed around the country. These camps are designated Protection of Civilian, or POC, sites. Bentiu and Malakal host the largest U.N. camps with 47,000 and 17,000 civilians living within them respectively.
While women and girls face sexual violence in South Sudan, especially near Juba and in the Greater Nile provinces, they also face significant threats within these POC sites. According to the U.N. Mission in South Sudan, also known as UNMISS, “civilians were not only caught up in the violence, they were directly targeted, often along ethnic lines.” Women and girls have been targeted by individuals not only within camps, but from soldiers on all sides of the conflict moving through the areas.
Security at the POC sites remains a critical problem. UNMISS has struggled to provide inhabitants with basic necessities and food let alone adequate security measures to protect people individuals from sexual assault. As a result NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented horrific sexual assault experiences.
UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Bangura, reported the worst conditions and instances of sexual violence that she had seen in her 30 year career raising concerns that more needs to be done to provide UNMISS with the resources it needs to prevent these attacks.
The UNMISS police force that is tasked with protecting individuals within the camps currently only hosts 1,300 officers. Impunity for perpetrators is the norm as victims almost never receive justice for the crimes committed against them. Victims of sexual assault are also often stigmatized by South Sudanese society making it more difficult for victims to seek support and report crimes committed against them.
Women traveling to the toilet, to collect water and collect firewood are frequently attacked by young men who have been psychologically traumatized by the ongoing violence and who seek solace in alcohol. All of these factors contribute to more aggressive behavior on part of all those affected by the conflict.
In light of these reports the international community has slowly started supplying more help to address the humanitarian crisis. Oxfam has recently provided 6,400 solar lamps to the Malakal camp that are being used to light up toilets at night. Individuals have also tried to reestablish community groups and justice systems that assist victims of sexual violence in South Sudan, epecially within the camps and change social perceptions that stigmatize victims.
South Sudanese women emphasize that the most effective way to end the sexual violence is for the factions to sign a lasting peace agreement. Bangura reported that South Sudanese women were fed up with the conflict and simply want peace so they may resume normal life free from the constant fear of being attacked. IGAD has negotiated peace agreements four times in the past year on January 23, May 9, June 10 and August 25, all of which have been violated by both sides of the ongoing conflict.
– Erin Sullivan
Sources: Enough Project, UN 1, UN 2, The Guardian, Enough Project 2, UN 3, VOA News, UN 4, UN 5, UNMISS
Photo: Flickr