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SOUTH SUDAN / WAU RETURNEES
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN/ WAU RETURNEES
TRT: 3:37
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH /JUBA ARABIC /NATS
DATELINE: 6-7 FEBRUARY 2019, WAU, SOUTH SUDAN
7 FEBRUARY 2019, WAU, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Various shots, Ngobu village
2. Various shots, Regina picking dried clothes
3. SOUNDBITE (Juba Arabic) Regina Peter Returnee:
“When we reached Baggari village, we stayed in the bush, where at times rain water used to wash us away. And, there were many disease outbreaks like malaria, diarrhea and vomiting. We had to resort to local herbs as there was no medical facility.”
4. Various shots, Ngobu village
6 FEBRUARY 2019, WAU, SOUTH SUDAN
5. Various shots, Clean-up campaign
7 FEBRUARY 2019, WAU, SOUTH SUDAN
6. Various shots, Regina with her sister and nephew
7. SOUNDBITE (Juba Arabic) Regina Peter Returnee:
“We stay with our mother because our father is dead; he was killed during the conflict. Life used to be much better when he was alive. Now, it is difficult to get even food. Sometimes my mother goes out to work as a casual labourer in order to get us food.”
8. Various shots, Regina doing dishes
9. SOUNDBITE (Juba Arabic) Regina Peter Returnee:
“We don’t have any food ration cards because we arrived here late, and we were not able to register. So, sometimes we get food from the church, and sometimes we get it from some people who received their cards. They normally give us some.”
10. Med shot, Mayige Lina James
11. Full shot, Mayige’s children and her sister
12. Med shot, Mayige’s mother-in-law
13. SOUNDBITE (Juba Arabic) Mayige Lina James, Returnee:
“My husband was killed in the month of May during the conflict here in Wau, though he was not a soldier. Due to that it has become difficult for me to cater to my children. Paying school fees is difficult. I always work as a labourer and do a little business to manage my children’s school fees and use part of the money for feeding. The woman you see there is my mother in-law. The mother to my late husband.”
14. Various shots, household shambles
15. SOUNDBITE (Juba Arabic) Mayige Lina James, Returnee:
“With the initial peace agreement, the security situation has become better than it was before. Now, we can sleep peacefully at night. Therefore, we pray that the recently signed peace agreement be real, so that people can stay together without any conflict. The only issue that is disturbing now is to earn to make a better living.”
16. Various shots, Ngobu village
Ngovu village was a peaceful place to live until conflict erupted in the Western Bahr El Ghazal region of South Sudan in June 2016, forcing thousands of families to flee.
Nineteen-year-old Regina Peter was among those displaced after her father was killed in Ngovu. She initially headed to nearby Baggari, only to find a dire situation there too.
SOUNDBITE (Juba Arabic) Regina Peter Returnee:
“When we reached Baggari village, we stayed in the bush, where at times rain water used to wash us away. And, there were many disease outbreaks like malaria, diarrhea and vomiting. We had to resort to local herbs as there was no medical facility.”
Regina’s family ended up seeking sanctuary at a United Nations protection site, some 15 kilometres away in Wau. As the security situation has improved, she decided to leave the camp and move back to her home in Ngovu. A major clean-up campaign carried out by UNMISS, UN agencies and other international and local humanitarian partners in the community is making her return a bit easier.
Regina, her brother and two sisters live with their mother and all pitch in to help with the household chores. While they are happy to be back, settling in has been a challenge.
SOUNDBITE (Juba Arabic) Regina Peter Returnee:
“We stay with our mother because our father is dead; he was killed during the conflict. Life used to be much better when he was alive. Now, it is difficult to get even food. Sometimes my mother goes out to work as a casual labourer in order to get us food.”
The process of rebuilding their lives will take time. But, her neighbours have been welcoming and kind.
SOUNDBITE (Juba Arabic) Regina Peter Returnee:
“We don’t have any food ration cards because we arrived here late, and we were not able to register. So, sometimes we get food from the church, and sometimes we get it from some people who received their cards. They normally give us some.”
Just like Regina, the conflict has also affected 40-year old Mayige Lina James. She lost her husband which has crippled her ability to make a living and support her three children.
SOUNDBITE (Juba Arabic) Mayige Lina James, Returnee:
“My husband was killed in the month of May during the conflict here in Wau, though he was not a soldier. Due to that it has become difficult for me to cater to my children. Paying school fees is difficult. I always work as a labourer and do a little business to manage my children’s school fees and use part of the money for feeding. The woman you see there is my mother in-law. The mother to my late husband.”
Despite only being able to provide one meal a day for her family, she hopes the situation will improve thanks to a new peace deal.
SOUNDBITE (Juba Arabic) Mayige Lina James, Returnee:
“With the initial peace agreement, the security situation has become better than it was before. Now, we can sleep peacefully at night. Therefore, we pray that the recently signed peace agreement be real, so that people can stay together without any conflict. The only issue that is disturbing now is to earn to make a better living.”
Some 4.5 million South Sudanese were displaced from their homes ever since the fighting erupted in the capital Juba in December 2013. Of these, 2 million have been internally displaced and 2.5 million have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.
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