Anna Kåri : Hopes for peace - suoth sudans children see an end to war


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Hopes for Peace – South Sudan’s children see an end to war.

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" I don’t think there is anything that can stop peace now. When people were fighting we knew there would be no peace, but now the guns are silent so we believe there really will be peace."

- Daniel Mading Malek.

Demobilised child soldier and now a student at Complex Primary school in Yirol.
The South Sudanese civil war started in 1983. The christian and animistic southern Rebels SPLA objected to the implementation of shia law by the northern Arab government. In these 20 years of war more than 2 million people have been killed, and millions of children have been robbed of a childhood. Thousands of children have been abducted by the North, and used as force labour; many other thousands have served in the SPLA or the Northern Army as soldiers. All of them have lived in a constant fear of bombs and raids. Development is virtually non existent in south Sudan, there is no electricity, no running water, no proper health facilities, the roads were build by the British 50 years ago, and are impassable half of the year. It is a tough ennvironment, with swamps and rain half the year, and semi arid dessert the rest of the year. As a consequence the Dinka, the largest ethnic group in South Sudan, are semi nomadic.
This year with the Americans backing the peace process, there is a real hope that a peace agreement will be signed in the end of 2003 or beginning of 2004. Many important issues, such as security have been agreed upon.
The rumours of the peace has passed through the population and people are optimistic as the ceasefire now has lasted nearly one year, unbroken in most places. Life may be difficult, but children believe that with peace their lives will improve.
This set of photos show children in South Sudan; it should be shown with the quotes of the children talking about their lives, the peace and the past. More quotes, interviews and photos of the children are available.