18 October 2017•Update: 19 October 2017
By Parach Mach
JUBA, South Sudan
At least 5,000 South Sudanese children have successfully reunited with their families since conflict broke out in the country in 2013, aid organizations said Wednesday.
In a joint statement the UNICEF, Save the Children and other organizations said: “A total of 16,055 unaccompanied and separated children have been registered by the organizations involved in the family tracing and reunification programs in South Sudan.”
“Efforts continue to trace the families of more than 10,000 children still separated from their family or caregivers, so that they too can be reunited,” the statement added.
Reuniting separated children with their families is a challenging process in a country with virtually no infrastructure and no telephone reception in many areas, the statement said.
Family tracing and reunification staff often have to trek for hours to look for separated families.
South Sudan has been mired in conflict between the government of President Salva Kiir and rebels led by former vice president Riek Machar since December 2013.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced almost 4 million people from their homes, including over a million refugees who have fled to the neighboring countries.
International and regional leaders have called for an end to the conflict in the East African nation but several truces have been broken by both sides.
