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In Pictures: Displaced in South Sudan

People fleeing ongoing fighting suffer from poor water quality and a lack of food.

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Thousands of people arrive in Mingkaman every day, travelling by boat from Bor.
By Phil Moore
Published On 14 Jan 2014

The United Nations estimates that 395,000 people have been displaced across South Sudan since fighting broke out in December. More than 84,000 of those people are living in a makeshift camp, based around the town of Mingkamen. They have fled heavy fighting between government forces and rebels loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar in the state capital of Bor, four hours away by boat. 

Stepping out of the boat at the muddy port in Mingkamen, they carry their belongings and go in search of shade. It is the middle of the dry season here, and dust fills the air as a few aid vehicles pass through. 

A medic from Doctors Without Borders (known as MSF, under the French acronym) says the “water was a big issue” when people arrived and used water from the Nile. “Many of the cases in our clinic are caused by bad water.” They have set up water distribution points to alleviate the problem, but with thousands more people arriving every day, the demand for resources is increasing. 

At one clinic, where a man is being treated for a gunshot wound to his side, the sound of gunfire echoes from across the river. The army is fighting to recapture Bor, the last rebel stronghold.

The refugees, with only the belongings they can carry, take a four-hour ride to a town that has more than quadrupled in size in two weeks.
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Arriving in Mingkaman, people carry their belongings in search of shelter.
As well as providing shade, trees allow people to hang mosquito nets necessary to protect against malaria.
More than 84,000 people are huddled under trees in the settlement. When the sun rises, the day(***)s heat is unbearable.
This woman gave birth in her tent to her yet unnamed child. Fearing losing their spot under a tree, families are reluctant to leave their shelter.
MSF says one of the biggest health problems is the lack of clean water. They are supplying several tens of thousands of litres of water every day.
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People still use river water, however, which is causing illnesses in the camp, particularly in children.
With the arrival of aid organisations, clinics are being set up to deal with the growing health problems in the camp.
Many people say they have little or nothing to eat and are reliant on aid.
A preacher delivers a sermon, praying for peace, at a makeshift church in the middle of the camp.
As fighting rages on, the fate of nearly 400,000 people nationwide hangs in the balance.