People of South Sudan Kenny Hobrook Final Post

HUMANS OF SOUTH SUDAN

By Kenny Holbrook

ANR 286

4-27-2017

            It is the world’s first famine since 2011, and it’s more dangerous than the last one since it is chock full of suffering. Spread all across the country of South Sudan, roughly 275,000 children are facing an impending risk of dying from malnutrition and starvation. Furthermore, up to 1 million adults are also on the threshold of succumbing to the harsh effects of famine, since they are incapable of meeting their own survival needs (Quinn).

“I thought if I never stopped moving, I couldn’t hold down my stress.”

 - Ayana Ife, a Kenyan Nationalist

March 2017: United Nations Refugee Camp

 Kakuma, Kenya

            The fire popped throughout the night. Slowly hissing and dancing in its makeshift pit. Close by was Ayana Ife and her two sisters who had traveled many miles (on foot) to search a drought-stricken region for any type of wood to make charcoal. When the charcoal cools down enough to carry, Ayana proceeds to the United Nations refugee camp in Kakuma, a town in northwestern Kenya, where she will trade it for food for herself and family. A vessel of the coals allows her to bring back two helpings of dried beans or millet.

"Trading with refugees is all we have left," she said. "But it is fewer and farther in between. The refugees are making their own coals now, leaving us with nothing."

               This has become a reoccurring theme around the camp. Everyday more and more refugees pour into the gates creating more competition for folks like Ayana. The already very limited resources with the two separated worlds are becoming harder to come by.

             The resources for the camp have been mainly provided by the United Nations and several refugee aide relief groups, which have been providing for the 180,000 immigrants that have been inhabiting within the Kakuma camp since March. Sadly, the government of Kenya has made it clear that its responsibilities lie with its indigenous residents. Creating a division with the two groups by forcing them to live in separate accommodations, only to cross paths at the local markets and watering sources.

"We can't command the refugees to go back home, but it is becoming a problem for the locals," Ayana said.

"My government has to help us. The refugees are becoming destructive toward our environment and resources. They are stealing the few animals that we have left for meat. Then they intimidate and make threats against us when we demand them back."

            Many scientists believe that one of the contributing factors that has led to the severe famine in South Sudan is climate change intertwined with the “slash and burn” agriculture that is practiced (Yeo). Recently published study from NASA demonstrates how agricultural fires in Northern Africa can vastly decrease the area's annual rain totals, especially during the dry season. This is a prime example of how humans can inadvertently alter a region’s weather and local climate. The report is the first to use information from satellite to show how the smoke from these fires directly affects an area’s rainfall (Rasmussen).

            Every year, over half of Earth’s fires are on the continent of Africa. For many centuries, African men and women have set ablaze the land to boost their agriculture production. The smoke from these fires combines into huge columns creating far-ranging effects that directly influence the weather, area rainfall, and providing nutrients to other regions that are downwind. According to NASA scientist Michael Tosca, "Less clouds and rainfall dry out the land and make it easier for farmers to ignite more fires, which data show they probably do. The added burning deepens and strengthens the effect and could lead to regional climate warming over time” (Rasmussen).

            This shifting weather pattern can be one of the numerous culprits that started the power struggle between South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit and Ex-Vice President Riek Machar that has led to war within its borders and causing food supplies to be distributed among the fighting factions (Deng) (Mayom). 

“The war has been taking all of the food from the South Sudan people,” says Ayana. “They feel like the only chances for their survival is for them to escape across the border of their neighboring countries. Many of the refugees carry a lot of suppressed anger when they arrive and take it out on us Kenyans.”

Works Cited

Deng, Emmanuel Ariech. "South Sudan Sovereignty Has Been Hijacked by Power Struggle.” PaanLuel Wël: South Sudanese Bloggers. WordPress, 23 June 2016. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. https://paanluelwel.com/2016/06/23/south-sudan-sovereignty-has-been-hijacked-by-power-struggle/

Mayom, Jok. "Famine Looms in South Sudan as Government Devotes Resources to War Effort." The Washington Times. The Washington Times, 29 Mar. 2017. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/29/south-sudan-famine-looms-as-government-devotes-res/

Quinn, Ben. "Famine Declared in South Sudan." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 20 Feb. 2017. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/feb/20/famine-declared-in-south-sudan

Rasmussen, Carol. "In Africa, More Smoke Leads to Less Rain." Global Climate Change. NASA, 05 Aug. 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2320/in-africa-more-smoke-leads-to-less-rain/

Yeo, Sophie. "Climate Impacts Fueling South Sudan War Says Minister." Climate Home. Global Environment Facility, 30 May 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2017. http://www.climatechangenews.com/2014/05/30/climate-impacts-fuelling-south-sudan-war-says-minister/