By Paschal Norbert
JUBA, MARCH 12, 2024 (CISA) – “It is no longer about the country and its leadership, but about the people of South Sudan who are slowly perishing,” says Rt Rev Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala, the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura Yambio, South Sudan.
In a statement dated March 8, Bishop Kussala in his capacity as the president of the Integral Human Development Commission at the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SSSCBC), is appealing for humanitarian assistance from the international community, people of goodwill and Caritas networks to mitigate the suffering of the people of South Sudan, who he says are on the brink of destitution.
He details that the people are suffering under complex emergencies and challenges including, starvation, floods, drought and soaring insecurity in some parts of the country, which is worsened by a fragile economy that is near collapse.
“Our people continue to suffer the effects of complex emergencies which are still being experienced in many parts of the country, including those parts that had previously been peaceful. As a result, the number of internally displaced persons who are living in deplorable conditions, and are starving has increased tremendously across the country, with the most affected being women, children, the aged, and people living with disabilities,” highlights Bishop Kussala.
He contends that the dire situation in the country has forced many people to abandon their source of livelihoods to ‘save their lives’, a reality, which has led to an increased number of out-of-school children who have turned to the streets for survival.
“Those still living in their homesteads are equally facing starvation since most of them have had to, ironically, abandon their sources of livelihood in a bid to save their lives. Most school-going children have had to drop out of school because of insecurity and fear of being forcefully recruited to serve as soldiers in the conflicts,” he notes.
Bishop Kussala advances that the intention of the appeal goes beyond the sorry state of South Sudan and the failures of the government and its leadership and thus, is a call for response to humanity.
“It is no longer about the country and its leadership, but about the people of South Sudan who are slowly perishing. Unless cushioned from these calamities, we are afraid that our people will not survive especially because the majority of the population (64%) are helpless youths who have no source of income, while most of the remaining 36% are elderly persons. The situation is dire and therefore in need of urgent intervention,’ he appeals.
“I urge each of you to use this opportunity to further the realization of your visions and missions which state the organizations’ mandate to mitigate human suffering in the world. Consider the South Sudanese mother who watches her child die because of malnutrition caused by severe hunger, the young man who dies in the hospital because there is no medicine to treat him, the 9-year-old girl who, for a piece of ‘bambe’ (potato), is forced to sell her body, and the emaciated old woman who is lying inside her ramshackle but awaiting death to take away her suffering,” stresses the prelate.
