Lost Children

A four-year civil war in South Sudan has led to more than 1 million children fleeing the country, many on their own, according to the United Nations.

“These children lost touch with their families once fighting broke out,” said Gilbert Kamanga, the Uganda director of international charity World Vision. “Others saw their parents being killed, and they have walked for more than a week to get to Uganda, with nothing to eat.”

“The horrifying fact that nearly one in five children in South Sudan has been forced to flee their home illustrates how devastating this conflict has been for the country’s most vulnerable,” said Leila Pakkala, UNICEF’s regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa.

At the Imvepi camp in the Arua district of northern Uganda, most of the 120,000 refugees are minors, and more of them continue to stream into the camp with horrifying stories.

“The best gift you can give to a separated child or parent is reunification, because they feel happy when they meet their family members,” said Robert Baryamwesiga, the Bidi Bidi settlement commander. “We are working hard to ensure these unaccompanied children get reunited with their families.”