Fears grow for isolated children in South Sudan

Thousands of children are likely to have been separated from their families as a result of the latest violence in South Sudan, Save the Children charity has warned. Save the Children says many children are surviving on their own in very remote areas. Some have witnessed their parents being killed and their homes looted or destroyed, it added. The fighting broke out two weeks ago in the capital Juba, and has spread to many parts of the country. At least 1,000 people have died. More than 121,000 people fled their homes when fighting started, with the result that many families were split up, Save the Children said. The charity said while many people had sought refuge in UN compounds or host communities in safer areas, others, including children, were hiding in swampy areas with no shelter where they would be forced to drink stagnant water. "We are very concerned that we cannot reach other parts of the country where the fighting has been escalating and where the needs of children are rising sharply," said Save the Children country director Fiona McSheehy. What began as a power struggle between rebel leader Riek Machar and President Salva Kiir has taken on overtones of a tribal conflict. The Dinka, to which Kiir belongs, are pitted against the Nuer, from which Machar hails. The government has offered a ceasefire, but the army says its forces are still battling rebels over oilfields in the north. East African mediators have given both sides until Tuesday to agree an end to hostilities. Source: QNA