Reference :
V-F-CR-F-02665-N
Date :
08/07/2019
Title :
South Sudan : gunshot injuries remain high despite peace deal
Duration :
00:02:02
Editor :
unknown
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Production company :
ICRC
ICRC producer :
unknown
Description :
The number of patients admitted to International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)-supported hospitals in South Sudan with injuries from violence remains high ten months after the signing of a peace agreement.
“Although South Sudan is technically in a time of peace, the context is that there is a constant state of aggression between tribes and clans,” said Kieren Box, a surgical nurse at ICRC’s hospital in Ganyliel. “They’re fighting over cattle. They’re fighting over land. The youth fight amongst themselves and it’s very easy to get weapons here, so small disputes turn into really large disputes.”
As South Sudan marks eight years of independence, fighting has dropped between parties to the conflict. However, intercommunal violence—mostly linked to cattle raids and revenge killing—continues to threaten lives.
There has been only a small drop-off in the number of injuries from gunshot and other weapons at two ICRC-supported facilities (comparing the same six-month period year-on-year) since the signing of the latest peace deal in September 2018. Ninety-seven percent of admitted patients over a recent six-month period suffered gunshot wounds, an indication of the high prevalence and easy access to fire arms.
Women and children remain particularly vulnerable; about 10 percent of patients seen from October 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019 were children under the age of 15, while just over 10 percent were women.
The ICRC transfers patients by air from around the country to two hospitals—one in Juba and another in Ganyliel—where teams provide surgical and post-operative care among other services. Many patients arrive with days-old injuries that have become infected.
“The past three days we’ve had the medevac come in, which was four patients—three quite ill patients, one not so bad,” said Box. “We’ve had a caesarean section on a young lady. The rains have come, so everything is very muddy and uncomfortable.”
English title :
South Sudan : gunshot injuries remain high despite peace deal
Colour/B&W :
colour
SD/HD :
HD
Resolution :
1920 x 1080
Aspect ratio :
16/9
Original material/format :
H264
Best material/format available :
ProRes 422
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