Lament of the South - Sudan

May 1998
The Dinka are singing a lament: it's of man made conflict and natural disaster. South Sudan's unlucky cocktail of war and drought has brought famine.

In January 1998, the Christian SPLA rebels in the South scored a series of military successes against the Muslim government in the North. Fearing defeat, the government turned to its old weapon: Starvation and moved to ban aid flights. This feature follows a beleaguered World Vision food convoy right to the hungry mouths it manages to feed. Fierce storms whip up, making the roads impassable. In the teak forests desperate soldiers demand a lift, although aid agencies cannot carry them. In the village of Yei the government bombed 40 civilians the previous day and survivors are too afraid to go to the hospital. The village of Thiet has just been destroyed, leaving 17 dead. Scorched earth huts stand empty. Suddenly, in a surprisingly humane gesture, the Sudanese government opens 4 airstrips out of a possible 50 in the region. The aid agencies have 3 days to stockpile food. But many will not survive the long walks to the feeding centre. When the food is finally distributed, there's only enough to last a family one week.

Produced by ABC Australia
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

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News & Politics

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• Poverty
• war
• drought
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[computer241]

if you are muslim see that vidoe and tell me if this what jahid all about it

[piklez14]

DINKA EQUAL MONYJANG MEAN MAN OF MAN

[Omer698]

because you are obstructing our sovereingty, if you did your research properly you would've found out that the SPLA starved it own people to prevent it from allying with the government, type in "garang crimes" on youtube and see for your self

[hajqbvii]

why?

[Omer698]

we will shoot it down

[life52178]

Thats what the UN did in Somalia,and when the food hit the gound. The people swamed it. At that point the warlords let off a spray of bullets killing those who reach the food. There is no text book way of dealing with this

[hajqbvii]

Can't the UN over ride Sudan's airspace and drop the food by parachute? Surely with 1st World technology, delivering food to the starving mass should be easier than this way!