SOUTH SUDAN / GOROM REFUGEES

Fleeing violence in Bor, South Sudan, many have headed to capital Juba, some 200 kilometers to the south. Some 500 families landed in Gorom, an Ethiopian refugee camp on the outskirts of Juba, home to close to 2500 people. UNHCR

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:03:05
• Production Date: 22 January 2014
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: REFUGEES; DISPLACED PERSONS
• Geographic Subject: ETHIOPIA; SOUTH SUDAN
• MAMS Id: U140122d

Description

STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / GOROM REFUGEES
TRT: 3.05
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ANYUAK / NATS

DATELINE: 10 JANUARY 2014

Shotlist

1. Various shots, woman cooking
2. SOUNDBITE (Anyuak), Ajuk Onygo, Displaced Person:
“On the way I carried my children on the back and some milk on my head. I was so tired, even my legs got swollen due to the long walk.”
3. Med shot, three men walking
4. Wide shot, man enters the yard
5. SOUNDBITE (English), Akway Opiew, Displaced Person:
“After two days I got some biscuit powder which had spilled from the people who were in front of me. These biscuits were mixed with dirt. And after one day all my children had gotten diarrhoea.”
6. Med shot, Akway walking
7. SOUNDBITE (English), Akway Opiew, Displaced Person:
“There are some roots from some kind of trees that I dug. I asked my children to eat and diarrhoea would reduce. Luckily it stopped. It was God not me. There was no medicine, there was no eating.”
8. Various shots, people in the camp
9. SOUNDBITE (English), Mengistu Oukuch, Refugee from Ethiopia:
“When they came here we did not chase them out. We accepted them because we are with them, we are one. These problems that happened to them is something that happened to us. So we accepted them to stay with us;, the food we have is just small food, we will share it with them. When it gets finished we will go to UNHCR and ask for more.”
10. Med shot, UNHCR staff enters the gate
11. Wide shot, UNHCR officer with children
12. SOUNDBITE (English), Joyce Nduru, UNHCR’s Community Service Officer:
“Now the challenge they have, they have to share the food they have. Based on the reports we have the food actually got finished before end of the month, everything is over because they have been sharing assisting these new arrivals.”
13. Wide shot, children outside
14. Close up, children
15. Med shot, children eating

Storyline

Fleeing violence in Bor, South Sudan, many have headed to capital Juba, some 200 kilometers to the south. Some 500 families landed in Gorom, an Ethiopian refugee camp on the outskirts of Juba, home to close to 2500 people.

Ajuk Onygo, walked from Bor with her 14 children.
“On the way I carried my children on the back and some milk on my head. I was so tired, even my legs got swollen due to the long walk.” – said Ajuk.

Upon arrival, they were hosted by Ethiopian refugees who shared what little food they had.

Akway Opiew and his family got assistance that almost cost him lives of his children.

“After two days I got some biscuit powder which had spilled from the people before us. It was mixed with dust. And after one day all my children had diarrhea.” – explained Akway.

Luckily, Akway is a medical nurse and was able to treat his children.

“There are some roots from some kind of trees that I dug. I asked my children to eat and diarrhoea would reduce. Luckily it stopped. It was God not me. There was no medicine, there was no eating.” –added Akway.

Despite difficulties, displaced people had found warm welcome in Gorom. Mengistu Okuch, a refugee from Ethiopia himself, was one of the people to host and share a little he had.

“When they came here we did not chase them out. We accepted them because we are with them, we are one. These problems that happened to them is something that happened to us. So we accepted them to stay with us. The food we have is just small food, we will share it with them. When it gets finished we will go to UNHCR and ask for more.” - said Okuch.

It is up to UNHCR now to step up its assistance to people in Gorom camp and deal with the double task of helping the new influx of displaced as well as 230,000 refugees already in South Sudan.

Joyce Nduru is the UNHCR’s Community Service Officer.

“Now the challenge they have, they have to share the food they have. Based on the reports we have the food actually got finished before end of the month, everything is over because they have been sharing assisting these new arrivals.” – said Nduru.

It is estimated that close to half a million people have been displaced in South Sudan since fighting begun on 15 December last year.