In 2013, less than two years after independence, violence broke out between the South Sudanese government and opposition forces, dragging the world’s youngest country into years of brutal civil war.
The conflict has claimed approximately 400,000 lives and, combined with the decades of previous conflict before independence, has resulted in over two million people fleeing the country. It has caused the largest refugee crisis in all of Africa - third worldwide behind only Syria and Afghanistan.
Another 1.6 million people remain displaced within South Sudan’s borders.
Bentiu, formerly a camp under the protection of the United Nations, is now an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp under the authority of the South Sudanese government.
These camps - known as Protection of Civilian sites or ‘PoCs’ - were formed around existing UN bases where thousands of people fled to for protection during the war. They were never designed to house so many people for such a long period of time.
Over 200,000 people now live in camps like Bentiu across South Sudan. Three other camps have also recently transitioned from UN protection to being managed by the South Sudanese authorities.
Across the camps, people live mostly in overcrowded shelters made of metal, mud and plastic, offering little protection from the elements, illness or the violence that often strays into the camps.
Bentiu is the largest of these camps, home to more than 100,000 people.
The poor living conditions and lack of functioning latrines and showers means there are huge health risks to people living there, including; diarrhoeal disease, hepatitis E, cholera, typhoid and skin infections.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare.
SUBSCRIBE HERE: bit.ly/15M9M8v