POVERTY: Oxfam: Don't forget Sudan after vote

2011-01-07 13:28 Juba - Oxfam called on the world community on Friday not to forget south Sudan after it votes on secession next week, warning that, independent or not, its people will remain among the world's poorest.
The aid agency said it was vital that continued support be provided beyond the historic vote, as expectations had been raised and there was a danger the fruits of the 2005 peace deal that ended two decades of civil war with the north could yet be squandered.
"The chronic poverty, lack of development and the threat of violence that blight people's daily lives will not disappear after the referendum," said Oxfam's south Sudan chief, Melinda Young, as she presented a report detailing the challenges ahead.
"Whatever the outcome of the vote, these long-term issues need to be addressed. Failure to do so risks undoing any progress made in the past few years," she said.
Among the stark statistics set out in Oxfam's report Beyond Sudan's Big Day are that with just 100 certified midwives to serve an official population of at least 8.2 million, just one in 10 deliveries in the south is attended by a skilled birth attendant - the lowest rate in the world.

Education
The result is that a 15-year-old girl in south Sudan has a higher chance of dying in child birth than finishing her primary school education.
One in seven women die during pregnancy, and more mothers die during child birth than anywhere else in the world apart from Sierra Leone.
An estimated 80% of adults - including 92% percent of women - cannot read or write after entire generations missed out on an education during the devastating civil war
But even six years into the peace, few of the 51% of the population who are under 18 receive a proper schooling, and less than two percent of children complete their primary education.
Over half of people do not have access to safe drinking water. They rely on seasonal pools and rivers that are often dirty and spread potentially fatal diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea.

Violence
Despite the end of the 1983-2005 civil war, in which an estimated two million people died, fighting has forced more than 200 000 people to flee homes in the south in the past year and claimed almost 1 000 lives, Oxfam said.
"The root causes of violence will not go away following the referendum," its report warned.
"Fighting often erupts between ethnic groups due to competition over resources such as cattle, pasture and water points, made worse by unclear land rights."
The head of the United Nations Mission to Sudan for the south, David Gressly, said on Thursday that violent attacks were running at their lowest level since the 2005 peace agreement, creating favourable conditions for last month's voter registration and the run-up to polling in the referendum.
"For the last several weeks - several months probably - we have seen the lowest level of insecurity in southern Sudan since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement has been signed," he said.

Protecting civilians
"It has been a very conducive environment for the registration, and we expect the same to continue for the polling period," Gressly added, while acknowledging that cattle rustlers in Lakes state had killed 11 people and wounded 25 last Saturday.
But the Oxfam report took issue with the peacekeeping mission's focus, saying it should devote fewer resources to the referendum and more to the protection of civilians.
"While the international community and the northern and southern Sudanese governments have been working to resolve high-level political issues such as the voting process, the demarcation of the border, the sharing of oil revenues and national debt, some of the concerns of local communities are in danger of being overlooked," it said.
"The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS) has so far failed to prioritise the protection of local people. Despite the challenges it faces, the mission must do more to quickly identify risks and respond effectively to outbreaks of violence."
Challenges
The report also urged the international community not to neglect north Sudan after the vote.
"With all the focus on the possible secession of southern Sudan, it is often forgotten that the referendum could effectively create two new countries," it said.
"Northern Sudan will also be affected by the outcome of the referendum and is facing many long-term challenges."
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