Newsletter

Sign up to stay informed about our quarterly magazine “one world no hunger”.

Please also refer to our data protection declaration.

South Sudan

South Sudan is the world's youngest country – and one of the poorest. Since 2013 a civil war has caused millions of people to flee.

 

Map of South Sudan

Hauptstadt

Juba

Amtssprache

Englisch, Arabisch

Fläche

ca. 640.000 km²

Einwohnerzahl

ca. 12,5 Mio.

Bevölkerungswachstum

3,9 %

Ländliche Bevölkerung

81,2 %

Bruttoinlandsprodukt

10,6 Mrd. US-Dollar

Pro-Kopf-Jahreseinkommen

790 US-Dollar

Schweregrad des Hungers laut Welthunger-Index

Unzureichende Daten, Anlass zur erheblichen Besorgnis

Human Development Index

0,467 / Rang 181 von 188

Anteil der Bevölkerung, der von weniger als 1,25 pro Tag lebt

50,6 % (letzte Berechnung: 2009)

Young and poor

On 9th July 2011, 99 per cent of the South Sudanese population voted in favour of a country independent of (northern) Sudan – in the process ending one of Africa’s longest civil wars. Peace, however, did not last long – war broke out again as early as 2013. This time the conflict was between the supporters of President Salva Kiir and the militia of his former Vice President, Riek Machar, over power and oil deposits. Since then, the country has been in the grip of one of the worst famines for years.

 

Nearly every month the figures are more shocking. Almost five million people are dependent on food aid. In April 2017, in the northern state of Unity alone, beneath which the oil deposits lie, 100,000 people were on the brink of starvation, according to UN organisations. 3.4 million have fled, including 1.7 million seeking refuge in neighbouring countries such as Uganda, Sudan and Ethiopia.

 

The whole of eastern Africa has been suffering from the ongoing drought, caused in part by the weather phenomenon, El Niño. This has resulted in crop failures affecting large areas of the population, albeit with very different consequences. In places where war is being waged, and where statehood has broken down, the drought has caused extreme famine. UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O´Brien, spoke recently of the ‘worst humanitarian crisis since the Second World War’.

 

Oil, not only as oil

South Sudan is more dependent on oil than any other in the world. Oil production accounts for almost all of its exports, and currently at least 60 per cent of its gross domestic product. Away from the oil sector, most people depend on small-scale subsistence and livestock farming for their livelihoods. About 95 per cent of the population work in agriculture – 85 per cent of these just to meet their own needs, with no or very little cash income.

 

80 per cent of earnings are spent on food

 

Low oil prices, the civil war and the ongoing drought are driving the country further towards economic ruin. The South Sudanese Government’s debts are thought to be around 4-5 billion US dollars. Inflation rose last year to 300 per cent. According to Welthungerhilfe, residents have to spend on average 80 per cent of their money on food.

 

Fertile, dangerous land　

The agricultural sector needs to be expanded, because there is great potential for development. Only 4.5 per cent of the soil available is currently being cultivated, and the country continues to depend on expensive food imports. South Sudan would then be rich in natural resources. Besides deposits of oil, gold, silver, zinc, diamonds and copper, it has an abundance of fertile land. The north and centre mainly consist of savanna and dry forests. The east Sudanese savanna and the Northern Congolian Forest-Savannah Mosaic are among the world's 200 most important ecoregions as defined by the WWF. Under normal conditions, products like manioc, peanuts, sweet potatoes, sorghum, sesame, maize, rice, millet and beans thrive in the fields. But for many it is hardly possible to cultivate their land these days. Attacks by rebels or government troops on small farmers are becoming increasingly frequent, to the extent that most stay far away from their fields out of fear.

 

Humanitarian aid is still risky

There is little up-to-date information on health care in South Sudan, but the situation was disastrous even before civil war broke out. Back then, there were just 1.5 doctors and carers for every 100,000 people. The minimum standard, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), should be at least 250. Moreover, less than 50 per cent of the population had access to medical care – and maternal mortality was thought to have been the highest on the entire continent. International organisations believe that these figures have worsened since the renewal of civil war.

Before the resumption of hostilities there were some innovative approaches to boosting the value of foods on farms in areas of the country unaffected by war, and transferring the surpluses to the regions in need (‘Produced in South Sudan’, 2014); but it is becoming increasingly difficult for aid workers to reach the suffering population. According to the UN children's aid organisation, UNICEF, deliveries have been made more difficult by the precarious security situation, on top of which the army often blocks relief workers’ access to those affected. Since the outbreak of the civil war at the end of 2013, at least 80 aid agency workers have lost their lives in South Sudan – most recently three World Food Programme (WFP) employees on 10th April 2017.

 

THE PRECIOUS COW The role of the cow is central to many Sudanese societies. Both the Dinka and the Nuer – the two biggest ethnic communities – consider themselves traditionally to be herders, although they are also seasonal land farmers. Men and women take the names of their favourite cows, and children are given names relating to particular characteristics of cows.

Lack of political will

In view of South Sudan’s state of dysfunction, the outlook for the near future looks bleak. Long-term strategies are urgently needed to manage oil, but there is a lack of political will. In mid-October 2016 the South Sudanese Government presented its 2016-17 budget. Half of the 22.3 billion pounds was allocated to security forces and the military, despite the signing of a peace treaty and the disastrous economic situation. Meanwhile, international organisations and NGOs are trying to prevent the worst from happening. The United Nations is represented in the country by a number of subsidiary organisations engaged in humanitarian aid, basic care, security, and protection of the civilian population. The European Union recently announced that it would make 78 million euros available to help overcome the crisis. But the cycle of hunger, violence and hardship is unlikely to be broken unless there are structural changes.

 

More on the subject:

 

Back to overview