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1.12 million children have fled escalating violence in South Sudan
More than one million children have now fled South Sudan where escalating conflict is ravaging the country, UNICEF and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, announced today.
“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. “Add this to the more than one million children who are also displaced within South Sudan, and the future of a generation is truly on the brink.”
Children make 62 per cent of more than 1.8 million refugees from South Sudan, according to the latest UN figures. Most have arrived in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Sudan.
“No refugee crisis today worries me more than South Sudan,” said Valentin Tapsoba, UNHCR’s Africa Bureau Director. “That refugee children are becoming the defining face of this emergency is incredibly troubling. We, all in the humanitarian community, need most urgent, committed and sustainable support to be able to save their lives.”
Inside South Sudan, more than one thousand children have been killed or injured since the conflict first erupted in 2013, while an estimated 1.14 million children have been internally displaced.
Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria face major humanitarian crisis —UN
Excerpts from UN humanitarian chief’s statement to the Security Council on 10 March 2017:
Yemen
It’s already the largest humanitarian crisis in the world and the Yemeni people now face the specter of famine. Today, two-thirds of the population – 18.8 million people – need assistance and more than 7 million are hungry and do not know where there next meal will come from. That is 3 million people more than in January. As fighting continues and escalates, displacement increases. With health facilities destroyed and damaged, diseases are sweeping through the country.
South Sudan
The famine in South Sudan is man-made. Parties to the conflict are parties to the famine – as are those not intervening to make the violence stop. More than 7.5 million people need assistance, up by 1.4 million from last year. About 3.4 million people are displaced, of which almost 200,000 have fled South Sudan since January alone. A localized famine was declared for Leer and Mayendit [counties] on 20 February, an area where violence and insecurity have compromised humanitarian access for years. More than one million children are estimated to be acutely malnourished across the country; including 270,000 children who face the imminent risk of death should they not be reached in time with assistance. Meanwhile, the cholera outbreak that began in June 2016 has spread to more locations.
Somalia
In Somalia, more than half the population – 6.2 million people – need humanitarian and protection assistance, including 2.9 million who are at risk of famine and require immediate assistance to save or sustain their lives, close to 1 million children under the age of 5 will be acutely malnourished this year. In the last two months alone, nearly 160,000 people have been displaced due to severe drought conditions, adding to the already 1.1 million people who live in appalling conditions around the country.
Nigeria and the Lake Chad region
10.7 million people need humanitarian assistance and protection, including 7.1 million people who are severely food insecure. Humanitarian partners scaled up their response to reach the most vulnerable groups threatened by violence, food insecurity and famine, particularly in North-Eastern Nigeria.
Kenya
Over 2.7 million Kenyans are now food insecure, a number likely to reach 4 million by April.
Famine looms in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen – UNICEF
Almost 1.4 million children are at imminent risk of death from severe acute malnutrition this year, as famine looms in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, UNICEF said today.
“Time is running out for more than a million children,” said UNICEF Executive Director. “We can still save many lives. The severe malnutrition and looming famine are largely man-made. Our common humanity demands faster action. We must not repeat the tragedy of the 2011 famine in the Horn of Africa.”
In northeast Nigeria, up to 450,000 children face severe acute malnutrition is expected this year in the conflict-affected states.
In Somalia, drought conditions are threatening an already fragile population battered by decades of conflict. Almost half the population, or 6.2 million people, are facing acute food insecurity and in need of humanitarian assistance. Up to 270,000 children are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year.
In South Sudan over 270,000 children are severely malnourished amid conflict, poverty and insecurity. The total number of food insecure people across the country is expected to rise from 4.9 million to 5.5 million at the height of the lean season in July…
In Yemen 462,000 children are currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition – a nearly 200 per cent increase since 2014.
The report comes just a day after famine was declared in parts of Unity state in southern South Sudan, where 20,000 children live.
UN OCHA has declared that a famine exists in two regions of southern Somalia, and warned that the famine could soon spread to the rest of southern Somalia.
A famine is declared when three measures of mortality, malnutrition and hunger coincide: “at least 20 per cent of households in an area face extreme food shortages with a limited ability to cope; acute malnutrition rates exceed 30 per cent; and the death rate exceeds two persons per day per 10,000 persons.”
Severe drought, failed harvest, years of civil war and now economic collapse have placed 100,000 people in the southern South Sudan at risk of starvation, with an additional one million people on the brink of famine, according to UN agencies.
Tens of thousands have already perished.
More than three million people have been forced from their homes.
Many are living in UN refugee camps across the country.
One and a half million have fled across the border to neighboring countries.
Famines have been declared previously in southern areas of Sudan in 2008; in Gode in the Somali region of Ethiopia in 2000; in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 1996; in Somalia in 1991-1992, and Ethiopia in 1984-1985, according to WFP.
6.5 Million people (39 percent of Malawi’s projected population) likely to be food insecure in 2016/17
At least 6.5 million people, or 39 percent of the country’s projected population of 16.8 million, will not be able to meet their annual food requirements during the 2016/17 consumption period, according to The Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, through the Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC).
This represents an increase of 129 percent compared with the corresponding figure of 2.8 million people for the 2015/16 consumption period. In order to ensure that the affected people survive up to the next harvest period without disrupting their socioeconomic livelihoods, the total humanitarian food assistance that is required is estimated at the equivalent of 493,000 metric tonnes of maize, with an estimated cash value of MK148 billion. However, the estimated humanitarian food assistance declines to the equivalent of 375,000 metric tonnes of maize if we adjust for the fact that some of the affected people may sell their assets in order to acquire food.
“The food shortage is largely a result of the El Nino climatic episode experienced across the country during the 2015/16 agricultural reason,” the government said.
The MVAC figures stated above relate to the total food requirement for the vulnerable population only. This is lower than the maize consumption deficit of 790,000 metric tonnes affecting 8.4 million people, as reported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development based on the Second Round Crop Estimates released in April 2016. The main difference between the two sets of figures arises from the fact that part of the maize consumption deficit relates to the consumption needs of those who can afford to procure it on the market, if available, without the need for humanitarian support. The MVAC figures exclude such consumption needs which are, nevertheless, a significant part of the Government’s overall intervention plans.
Iraq
More than 3.3 million Iraqis, or about 10 per cent of the population, have been displaced due to acts of violence perpetrated by the Saudi-backed Wahhabi terrorists (ISIL) since the start of 2014.
At least 500,000 people fled Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, when terrorists stormed the city in June 2014. Many have been displaced multiple times, and most face extreme hardship.
South Sudan
More than 2.4 million people have been displaced since fighting broke out in Juba in December 2013. This includes 720,394 people who have crossed into neighboring countries. Six Protection of Civilian (PoC) sites are currently sheltering 169,983 internally displaced people (IDPs): 98,653 in Bentiu; 40,448 in Malakal; 27,959 in Juba; 2,004 in Bor; 700 in Melut; and, 219 in Wau, said the UN Mission in South Sudan.
Somalia
Extreme rain events in the upper part of the Ethiopian highlands have caused river Shabelle to overflow. The flood waters have destroyed crops and that fields remain inaccessible.
“The flood has destroyed almost everything. The majority of the community here operates a small business in a local market. They could no longer work as the place is submerged with water. We do hope in a month’s time it will dry up and we can start rebuilding our lives,” said a local elder.
[District of] Beletweyne hosts 31,000 displaced people, the majority of whom have fled conflict in the neighboring districts of Jalalqsi and Bulle Burte. The residents who live in a low-lying areas have moved to higher ground in El Jaale, five kilometres from Beletweyne.
“This flooding is the worst in years. It covered most of the town and surroundings. As the people move to higher grounds, they are in need of everything. The ICRC is providing food and other basic items, clean water and health care to the most affected communities. This will enable them to hold on as they start to rebuild their homes,” said the region’s field coordinator for the ICRC in Somalia.
Ongoing drought causing acute food insecurity in Somalia
Four successive seasons of below-average rains in parts of Somaliland and a below-average Deyr rainy season in Puntland have lead to severe drought.
The drought, exacerbated by El Niño conditions, has spread through Puntland and Somaliland, affecting hundreds of thousands of people, and compounding an already challenging humanitarian situation in the region. An estimated 385,000 people face acute food insecurity in Somaliland and Puntland, with an additional 1.3 million people threatened by acute food insecurity if they do not receive assistance. (OCHA)
About 300,000 children in Somalia are suffering from malnutrition, with 60,000 under the age of five being in critical condition and in need of urgent therapeutic feeding, said reports.
Conflict and drought: Major drivers of acute food insecurity in East Africa
South Sudan
Conflict areas in Greater Upper Nile in South Sudan remain in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) acute food insecurity through the spring and summer.
“Some smaller populations in central Unity State are expected to be facing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). Areas in Greater Bahr El Ghazal and Greater Equatoria that were less directly impacted by the Government and Opposition conflict are seeing their food security threatened by very high staple food prices, brought on by restricted trade and the depreciation of the South Sudanese Pound, in addition to sporadic violence/clashes.
Ethiopia
“In Ethiopia, Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes continue in agricultural and agropastoral eastern areas of Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, and SNNPR Regions, as well as in pastoral areas of Afar Region and Sitti Zone in the Somali Region. Following the 2015 El Niño-related drought, there has been a slow start to 2016 rains across much of central and eastern Ethiopia. More than 10 million people in central and eastern Ethiopia will be in need of emergency food assistance this year.”
Darfur – Sudan
“Conflict in has displaced approximately 130,000 people since January.Restricted access to humanitarian assistance, markets, and labor opportunities in Central and South Darfur and SPLM-N-controlled areas of South Kordofan is contributing to Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes for many where availability of and access to food is extremely limited.
Yemen
Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3) acute food insecurity outcomes are expected to continue in most areas through September 2016 and beyond.
“Protracted conflict since early 2015 has contributed to eroding livelihoods and restricting market access for many. Household purchasing power will remain weak due to atypically high food prices and livelihood disruptions. While many households will attempt to cope by selling assets and reducing the quantity and diversity of meals, these efforts are not expected to enable households to meet basic food needs.” [http://www.fews.net/]
If humans had more time left, they would probably wipe out the population of Africa in 10 – 20 years
Southern Africa: 14 Million people face hunger due to the prolonged drought
A “state of disaster” has been declared in much of Zimbabwe’s rural areas plagued by a severe drought, with more than a quarter of the population facing food shortages, AFP reported.
A regional drought has affected South Africa, Malawi and Zambia and Zimbabwe, killing tens of thousands of cattle, drying up dams and destroying crops.
“Initial indications were that 1.5 million people were food insecure with all the 60 rural districts being affected,” said the Public Works Minister.
“Overall, the food insecure population has since risen to 2.44 million [or 26 percent of the population.]
More than 16,500 cattle have died in Zimbabwe, and 75 percent of crops have been abandoned in the worst-hit areas, said the report.
At least 14 million people across southern Africa face hunger due to the prolonged drought, WFP said.
Horn of Africa – Somali
An estimated 4.7 million people — nearly 40 per cent of the Somali population — are in need of humanitarian assistance. About 950,000 of them are acutely food insecure and struggle every day to meet their food needs, with internally displaced people accounting for 68 per cent of those who are are in dire need of assistance.
“The level of malnutrition, especially among children, is of serious concern, with nearly 305,000 children under the age of five years acutely malnourished. We estimate that 58,300 children face death if they are not treated. The drought could push these numbers higher in the months to come. We must act now. Partners are ready to scale up response, but funding is urgently needed to ensure this is done in a timely manner,” said UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia. [What happens to the vast sums of money given to the UN?]
Ethiopia
Ethiopia is experiencing its worst drought in decades, leaving 10.2 million people in need of emergency food aid.
Northeast Africa – South Sudan
South Sudan is facing unprecedented levels of food insecurity, as 2.8 million people — nearly 25 percent of the country’s population — remain in urgent need of food assistance, and at least 40,000 people are on the brink of catastrophe, three UN agencies warned today.
Iraq: 26,000 people have fled fighting between Islamic State and Iraqi security forces in Tikrit for Samarra. Food, shelter, health and WASH needs are priorities. More than 100 families have arrived in Al Dour, located between Tikrit and Samarra, and thousands have fled to central and southern governorates.
South Sudan: Heavy fighting between government and opposition was reported in Upper Nile state, and government troops took control of Wadakona town. Many civilians are reported trapped. Peace talks have collapsed.
Nigeria: Boko Haram-related violence has caused over 4,000 deaths in Borno state alone since January 2015. At least 5.6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
South Sudan is weeks away from worst famine in recent African history: UN
Unless comprehensive action is taken to address hunger in South Sudan before the planting season ends in May, the country faces one of the worst famines in African history, UN agencies have said.
“If we miss the planting season, there will be a catastrophic decline in food security,” said Toby Lanzer, the Deputy Special Representative to the Secretary-General for the UN Mission in South Sudan. “What will strike that country, and it will hit about seven million people, will be more grave than anything that continent has seen since the mid-1980s.”
Based on the UN assessment, the crucial planting season in South Sudan will end in less than 5 weeks.
South Sudan: 7 Million at Risk of Hunger and Disease
Video clips and photos taken in the hot spots of South Sudan since conflict erupted there on 15 December 2013. Posted on YT by Toby Lanzer.
At least 1 Million people have been forced from their homes due to the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, said the UN
More than quarter of million people have taken refuge in neighboring countries and at least 800,000 have been displaced internally.
Fighting erupted between the troops loyal to Salva Kiir, the president of South Sudan and and his deputy, Riek Machar, in December 2013.
Despite a ceasefire agreement in January, fighting has continued.
Food security
The conflict has caused “a serious deterioration in the food security situation” leaving around 3.7 million people at high risk,” said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“Fighting between government and opposition forces has continued, especially in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile state, where towns and rural areas have been ravaged by the violence.”
Nearly 5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, however “the remote and dispersed placement sites make it difficult to reach many of South Sudan’s conflict-affected people,” says the UN.
A large number of South Sudanese war refugees have crossed the border Ethiopia since fighting erupted in December. Many others have fled to Kenya, Sudan and Uganda, while the internally displaced have sought shelter in UN bases, according to reports.
According to various estimates, more than 130,000 people have been killed in Syria and about 2.5 million people have fled their homes since the Saudi-backed destabilization of the country began in March 2011.
Iraq Death Toll
The 2014 death toll in Iraq climbed above the 9,500 mark with about 20,000 wounded in hundreds of violent attacks throughout the war-torn country.
Pakistan Death Toll
About 1,550 people were killed and 4,100 others wounded in hundreds of bomb attacks across Pakistan in 2013.
South Sudan Death Toll
“Thousands” of people have been killed in South Sudan and more than 120,000 others displaced, since heavy fighting began on 15 December, 2013 in South Sudan’s capital Juba and quickly spread to four other states, said UN.
Thousands of people have been killed since fighting began 10 days ago: UN OCHA
“I think it’s undeniable at this stage that there must have been thousands of people who have lost their lives.” Toby Lanzer, the senior UN humanitarian coordinator, told the BBC.
“When I’ve looked at the hospitals in key towns and I’ve looked at the hospitals in the capital itself, the range of injuries, this is no longer a situation where we can merely say it’s hundreds of people who’ve lost their lives.”
There are up to “hundreds of thousands,” of people seeking shelter from the fighting , he added, it’s been “a devastating week for South Sudan.”
Five out of 10 states in the country have been affected by the latest round of fighting, according to UN OCHA.
UN OCHA Situation report as of 23 December 2013
The following are highlights of the latest UN report on South Sudan crisis.
The estimated number of people displaced by in the current crisis in South Sudan has risen to 81,000*. Given the limited access to civilians outside population centers, the number is likely to
be significantly higher.
The response to people displaced in Juba is gaining momentum, with registration underway in UNMISS Tomping and food distributions ongoing in both sites.
Priorities for the response to the displaced are food, healthcare, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene services and protection. [Preferably NOT in that order: Editor]
Situation Overview
On 22-23 December, the security situation remained stable but tense in Juba. At least 20,000 people are still sheltering at the two main UNMISS bases in town. Registration began in UNMISS Tomping on 23 December, with 894 people registered on the first day. The registration is being done simultaneously with distributions of basic food rations and household kits. Preparations are underway for a similar registration exercise in UN House. The main concern in the sites, in particular in UNMISS Tomping, is currently the lack of sanitation and the risks it poses for disease outbreak such as cholera in the sites. Large numbers of people have been seen leaving the city, including towards Nimule on the border with Uganda. There are already reports that people have crossed into Kenya, Sudan and Uganda, and aid agencies are mobilizing to monitor these population flows more closely, to ensure that people are assisted where necessary.
The situation in Jonglei deteriorated further, with reported clashes between different armed factions south of Bor. At the peacekeeping base in Bor, an estimated 17,000 people are sheltering. As of 22 December, all international aid workers have been relocated from Bor to Juba, though the base is being reinforced with additional peacekeeping troops. Additional protective barriers have also been constructed around the base, including the area hosting the displaced civilians. There has been large-scale looting of humanitarian compounds and civilian property. Looting has also been reported in Akobo, Jonglei State, and in Bentiu and Koch County, Unity State.
The displaced people who had been sheltering at the UNMISS in Pibor have left [fled?] the base.
The fighting, despite its complexity, is being portrayed as an “ethnic war” between the Dinka and Nuer. South Sudan President Kiir is of the Dinka ethnicity, while the rebel commander, the former vice-president Riek Machar, is an ethnic Nuer.
Estimated 81,000 people have been displaced, since 15 December 2013
5 of 10 States in South Sudan are affected by current wave of violence (States affected by violence and main reported concentrations of people displaced, says OCHA)
Estimated 45,000 people seeking refuge in UNMISS bases. (Includes reports of people in other locations not mapped. The total number of people displaced is likely higher, as aid agencies have very limited information about displacement outside main population centers.)
The UN Security Council voted on Tuesday to increase its peacekeepers from 7,000 to 12,500, and its international police force from 900 to 1,323.
Sudan was devastated by a 22-year civil war that left more than 1.5 million people dead prior to South Sudan becoming independent in 2011.
Mass Graves and Grave Abuses Committed Against Civilians
The UN High Commissioner for Human Chief Navi Pillay says a mass grave was found in the rebel-held town of Bentiu, and there were “reportedly at least two other mass graves” in the capital Juba.
“We have discovered a mass grave in Bentiu, in Unity State, and there are reportedly at least two other mass graves in Juba,” Ms Pillay said.
The situation is increasingly tense in Bentiu, with military mobilizations reported and sporadic fighting. Some 7,000 people are sheltering in the UNMISS base. Non-essential staff are being evacuated from Bentiu to Juba, in view of the deteriorating security situation, though essential staff remain to ensure response. Aid workers have also been pulled out of Yida and Ajoung Thok refugee sites.
In Bentiu, UNMISS peacekeeping troops remain in place. The situation is also fragile in Upper Nile State, where sporadic fighting has been reported in several locations in the past days. Protection of civilians, along with issues of lack of command and control of various armed groups, are serious concerns in all areas affected by fighting. There are credible reports of grave abuses committed against civilians in different parts of the country, including killings. Some of these abuses have reportedly been tied to the ethnic identity of the victims.
More than 20,000 people take refuge in U.N. compound in Juba
Since its independence in 2011, ethnic fighting has plagued the landlocked South Sudan, one of the poorest and least developed countries in Africa.
Thousands of civilians continue to pour into a shelter at the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) compound on the outskirts of the capital Juba, December 17, 2013. Source:UN News Center
The United Nations says it has received reports from South Sudan that up to 500 people had been killed and about 800 others wounded in the latest round of violence, and the government said it had arrested 10 politicians in connection with a “foiled coup.”
“Two hospitals have recorded between 400 and 500 dead and [up to] 800 wounded,” a diplomat in New York said on condition of anonymity, citing an estimate United Nations peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous gave during a closed-door briefing for the 15-member body, said a report.
DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,130 Days Left
[February 6, 2013] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,130 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 …
.
Global Disasters/ Significant Events
Flooding in NW Pakistan claims dozens of lives, affects thousands
Heavy rains in northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has killed at least 35 people and injured dozens more, destroying or damaging hundrds of homes and displacing thousands of residents, emergency officials said.
Meantime, heavy snow fell over the country’s northern mountain ranges, breaking a 30-year record in Malam Jabba.
“More than three meters of snow fell in as many days, setting a new record,” said Pakistan’s chief of meteorology.
Arizona, USA
Arizona Governor Brewer has issued a Declaration of Emergency after unusually cold temperatures froze pipes causing water shortages affecting the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation and parts of Apache, Coconino and Navajo counties, said a report.
South Sudan
South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state has made an urgent appeal for international aid to avoid humanitarian disaster caused by food crisis in the Kapoeta region after drought followed by heavy rains wiped out crops, said a report.
War looms as hostilities intensify between Sudan and its new neighbor
Sudan has declared a state of emergency along the border with South Sudan amid rising tensions, imposing a trade embargo against the newly formed country of South Sudan.
Disputes over oil revenue, citizenship issues, cross border raids and border demarcation between the two countries have resulted in border clashes in recent months.
Sudan had accused South Sudan of using foreign mercenaries to capture the oil-producing Heglig region, which it has now recaptured, reports said.
Other Global Disasters, Significant Events
Hunan Province, China. Extreme rain events and hailstorms in central China’s Hunan Province have affected up to a million people.
“Massive rainfall triggered mountain torrents, landslides and floods in those areas, where 47,500 residents had been evacuated,” reports said.
About 40,000 hectares of farmland and up to 15,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed.
The worst-hit areas are Yueyang, Yiyang, Zhangjiajie and Yongzhou, reports said.
Cold water raises the Manatee death toll total for the third consecutive year.
Disaster Calendar 2012 – January 5
[January 5, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,532 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History
Florida, USA.“Cold stress’’ killed over a quarter of the 453 dead manatees recovered in Florida waters, state wildlife biologists said.
It was the third consecutive year that cold water drove up the annual death total, the second-highest on record.
At least 88 of the sea cows were killed by boats.
Brevard county topped the list with 100 manatee deaths including 28 from cold stress and 7 from boats.
In 2010, a record 766 carcasses were found.
In 2009, 429 dead manatees were recovered.
Other Global Disasters
Mindanao Island, Philippines.Disaster visits Mindanao Island again. A massive landslide in Pantukan town in Compostella Valley, 900 km south of Manila, has killed at least 25 people.
More than 100 people are still buried at or near a gold mine.
“Thousands of poor Filipinos dig and pan for gold in the area, hoping to strike it rich despite the dangers of largely unregulated mining. The tunnels are often unstable and landslides and accidents are common.”
Typhoon WASHI killed at least 1,257 people in Mindanao, and left an unknown number of people missing last month.
Montana, USA. Blackfeet Tribe have declared a state of emergency in Browning area.
Two major fires have forced evacuations and highway closures in Browning area, a report said.
South Sudan. The state of Jonglei in South Sudan has been declared a disaster area following inter-tribal fighting in the past few weeks.
“Fighting erupted in late December when the 6,000 armed men from the Lou-Nuer ethnic group attacked Pibor county, the home of the Murle community, in the latest of a series of raids between the two groups,” a report said.About 50,000 members of the Murle community have been displaced and hundreds of others have been killed.
More than 1,000 people have killed in cattle raids, abductions and counter attacks in the last seven months, the report said.
Tennessee, USA. Forty-three counties in the state of Tennessee have been declared agricultural disaster areas, USDA said.
The disaster designations are due to losses caused by drought and excessive heat that occurred from May 1, 2011, through Oct. 31, 2011.
Tennessee counties designated as Primary Disaster Areas. Source: USDA
Tennessee counties declared as Contiguous Disaster Areas. Source: USDA
The following counties in Kentucky, Mississippi and North Carolina were also designated as disaster areas because they are contiguous.
Kentucky: Allen, McCreary, Monroe and Wayne counties.
Mississippi: Benton and Marshall counties.
North Carolina: Cherokee, Graham and Swain
Texas, USA.131 Counties in the Lone Star State have been declared agricultural disaster areas, USDA reported.
The disaster designations are due to losses caused by drought, excessive heat, high winds and wildfires that occurred during the period of Jan. 1, 2011, and continues.
Texas Primary Disaster Counties. Source: USDA
Texas counties declared as Contiguous Disaster Areas. Source: USDA
Several counties in New Mexico and Oklahoma were also designated as disaster areas because they are contiguous.
New Mexico: Lea County.
Oklahoma: Bryan, Choctaw, Jefferson, Love, McCurtain and Marshall counties.
Fire Earth 
