Emergency Response in South Sudan

In Minnesota, we have a unique expression. When something is a lot to handle, or challenging, or comical in its difficulty, a good Minnesotan will shrug their shoulders, shake their head, and in one big exhale say, “oofda.” In that one word, everyone understands the frustration, exhaustion, and even humor of the situation. In Pibor County, former Jonglei state in South Sudan, there is a similar habit of shaking one’s head, and simply saying, “Pi—bor” with a grin. In mid-August, Wori, Brian, and I were dropped by a small charter plan on the mud airstrip of Pibor (other team members would join later). August is well into the rainy season, and though the weather was dry when we landed, we knew not to expect it to stay that way for long. Unlike other locations I’ve worked in South Sudan, we would not have a car here. All of our movements would be walking, or perhaps hiring local canoes or boats. So when we were dropped by the charter with the first load of cargo to begin vaccin

This assessment was conducted by our Emergency Response Team (ERT) in July, but I’m just getting around to posting. I guess ‘better late, than never’ applies in this instance. As the adage goes, admitting there is a problem is the first step in solving it. But for emergency response, we amend the adage slightly to become,‘identifying a problem is the first step in solving it.’ That was our goal as our team set out for Cuiebet County to assess the emergency situation in the area. We had heard reports that due to inter-communal violence and cattle raiding, a large number of people had been displaced from their villages. Displacement is one of the triggers that makes our ERT jump into action. When a displacement occurs, people are forced to flee their homes and leave everything behind. They seek protection in an unfamiliar community, where they may have nothing – not even a place to sleep. Sometimes the displacements a short, but more often people are displ