FARGO-Nyamal Dei fled the turmoil of Sudan as a girl and found refuge in the U.S. in 1995. More than two decades later, her homeland, now known as South Sudan, is faced with yet another outburst of violence. Contemplating this new conflict that's killed hundreds of people and destabilized the country, Dei is overwhelmed with sadness. "To see my people going through the same thing again, it is devastating," she said Tuesday, July 12, while taking a break from her job at Essentia Health. Dei, 32, is among hundreds of South Sudanese immigrants who live in the Fargo area. For her and others, recent days have been spent worrying about relatives caught in the middle of the fighting.
"This is something that shouldn't be going on," she said. "We should live as a brother and sister. There's no need to kill each other." Many of Dei's family members are in the capital city of Juba where heavy fighting broke out Thursday, July 7, but she's only been able to speak with her uncle, who's in hiding, and two cousins, who found shelter at a U.N. camp. She said her two cousins are safe for now, though she's concerned because news outlets reported that gunfire has killed and wounded people being sheltered by the U.N. South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, gained its independence from Sudan five years ago. The recent fighting has been between the loyalists of President Salva Kiir and those of Vice President Riek Machar. Machar is a former rebel leader who became vice president under a deal to end a two-year, ethnically charged civil war that pitted Kiir's Dinka group against Riek's Nuer. The president and vice president called for a ceasefire on Monday night, July 11, and so far it's held. But the peace is tenuous. "The situation is still tense. Chances are it could escalate," said Gat-kier Machar, a Fargo resident since 2009. Machar, who's not related to the vice president, said three of his friends, men he grew up with, were killed in the fighting while serving as part of the vice president's security detail. Machar said his 67-year-old mother-in-law and 22-year-old nephew both happened to be visiting Juba when the fighting erupted. "Just bad timing," he said. His mother-in-law, who was living in a refugee camp in Kenya, traveled to South Sudan to reunite with a daughter she had not seen since 1987. Since the fighting started, the mother and daughter have been trying to reach a U.N. camp, but gunfire has prevented them from doing so, Machar said. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2670431","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"391","title":"","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"480"}}]] His nephew, who was on a break from studying in Uganda, managed to reach a U.N. camp. "He just came for vacation, then all of a sudden this happened," Machar said. Sarah Malwal, a 23-year-old student at North Dakota State University, said the news of the fighting in Juba, a city of about 300,000, prompted her to contact her aunts, uncles and cousins there. She said she was up late trying to reach them over the phone and through social media. "The first two nights you just can't sleep because you want to know: What's happening? Are they safe?" she said. None of her relatives have been hurt or had to flee their homes, though getting groceries and other supplies has been a struggle, she said. Malwal, who came to Fargo 12 years ago with her parents, said it troubles her that the focus in South Sudan is on fighting rather than developing the country. "It's just heart-aching to me," she said. Reuters contributed to this report.FARGO-Nyamal Dei fled the turmoil of Sudan as a girl and found refuge in the U.S. in 1995. More than two decades later, her homeland, now known as South Sudan, is faced with yet another outburst of violence. Contemplating this new conflict that's killed hundreds of people and destabilized the country, Dei is overwhelmed with sadness. "To see my people going through the same thing again, it is devastating," she said Tuesday, July 12, while taking a break from her job at Essentia Health. Dei, 32, is among hundreds of South Sudanese immigrants who live in the Fargo area. For her and others, recent days have been spent worrying about relatives caught in the middle of the fighting. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2670433","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"480","title":"","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"396"}}]]"This is something that shouldn't be going on," she said. "We should live as a brother and sister. There's no need to kill each other." Many of Dei's family members are in the capital city of Juba where heavy fighting broke out Thursday, July 7, but she's only been able to speak with her uncle, who's in hiding, and two cousins, who found shelter at a U.N. camp. She said her two cousins are safe for now, though she's concerned because news outlets reported that gunfire has killed and wounded people being sheltered by the U.N. South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, gained its independence from Sudan five years ago. The recent fighting has been between the loyalists of President Salva Kiir and those of Vice President Riek Machar. Machar is a former rebel leader who became vice president under a deal to end a two-year, ethnically charged civil war that pitted Kiir's Dinka group against Riek's Nuer. The president and vice president called for a ceasefire on Monday night, July 11, and so far it's held. But the peace is tenuous. "The situation is still tense. Chances are it could escalate," said Gat-kier Machar, a Fargo resident since 2009. Machar, who's not related to the vice president, said three of his friends, men he grew up with, were killed in the fighting while serving as part of the vice president's security detail. Machar said his 67-year-old mother-in-law and 22-year-old nephew both happened to be visiting Juba when the fighting erupted. "Just bad timing," he said. His mother-in-law, who was living in a refugee camp in Kenya, traveled to South Sudan to reunite with a daughter she had not seen since 1987. Since the fighting started, the mother and daughter have been trying to reach a U.N. camp, but gunfire has prevented them from doing so, Machar said.
His nephew, who was on a break from studying in Uganda, managed to reach a U.N. camp. "He just came for vacation, then all of a sudden this happened," Machar said. Sarah Malwal, a 23-year-old student at North Dakota State University, said the news of the fighting in Juba, a city of about 300,000, prompted her to contact her aunts, uncles and cousins there. She said she was up late trying to reach them over the phone and through social media. "The first two nights you just can't sleep because you want to know: What's happening? Are they safe?" she said. None of her relatives have been hurt or had to flee their homes, though getting groceries and other supplies has been a struggle, she said. Malwal, who came to Fargo 12 years ago with her parents, said it troubles her that the focus in South Sudan is on fighting rather than developing the country. "It's just heart-aching to me," she said. Reuters contributed to this report.FARGO-Nyamal Dei fled the turmoil of Sudan as a girl and found refuge in the U.S. in 1995. More than two decades later, her homeland, now known as South Sudan, is faced with yet another outburst of violence.Contemplating this new conflict that's killed hundreds of people and destabilized the country, Dei is overwhelmed with sadness. "To see my people going through the same thing again, it is devastating," she said Tuesday, July 12, while taking a break from her job at Essentia Health.Dei, 32, is among hundreds of South Sudanese immigrants who live in the Fargo area. For her and others, recent days have been spent worrying about relatives caught in the middle of the fighting.
"This is something that shouldn't be going on," she said. "We should live as a brother and sister. There's no need to kill each other."Many of Dei's family members are in the capital city of Juba where heavy fighting broke out Thursday, July 7, but she's only been able to speak with her uncle, who's in hiding, and two cousins, who found shelter at a U.N. camp.She said her two cousins are safe for now, though she's concerned because news outlets reported that gunfire has killed and wounded people being sheltered by the U.N.South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, gained its independence from Sudan five years ago. The recent fighting has been between the loyalists of President Salva Kiir and those of Vice President Riek Machar. Machar is a former rebel leader who became vice president under a deal to end a two-year, ethnically charged civil war that pitted Kiir's Dinka group against Riek's Nuer.The president and vice president called for a ceasefire on Monday night, July 11, and so far it's held. But the peace is tenuous."The situation is still tense. Chances are it could escalate," said Gat-kier Machar, a Fargo resident since 2009.Machar, who's not related to the vice president, said three of his friends, men he grew up with, were killed in the fighting while serving as part of the vice president's security detail.Machar said his 67-year-old mother-in-law and 22-year-old nephew both happened to be visiting Juba when the fighting erupted. "Just bad timing," he said.His mother-in-law, who was living in a refugee camp in Kenya, traveled to South Sudan to reunite with a daughter she had not seen since 1987. Since the fighting started, the mother and daughter have been trying to reach a U.N. camp, but gunfire has prevented them from doing so, Machar said.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2670431","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"391","title":"","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"480"}}]]His nephew, who was on a break from studying in Uganda, managed to reach a U.N. camp. "He just came for vacation, then all of a sudden this happened," Machar said.Sarah Malwal, a 23-year-old student at North Dakota State University, said the news of the fighting in Juba, a city of about 300,000, prompted her to contact her aunts, uncles and cousins there. She said she was up late trying to reach them over the phone and through social media."The first two nights you just can't sleep because you want to know: What's happening? Are they safe?" she said.None of her relatives have been hurt or had to flee their homes, though getting groceries and other supplies has been a struggle, she said.Malwal, who came to Fargo 12 years ago with her parents, said it troubles her that the focus in South Sudan is on fighting rather than developing the country."It's just heart-aching to me," she said.Reuters contributed to this report.FARGO-Nyamal Dei fled the turmoil of Sudan as a girl and found refuge in the U.S. in 1995. More than two decades later, her homeland, now known as South Sudan, is faced with yet another outburst of violence.Contemplating this new conflict that's killed hundreds of people and destabilized the country, Dei is overwhelmed with sadness. "To see my people going through the same thing again, it is devastating," she said Tuesday, July 12, while taking a break from her job at Essentia Health.Dei, 32, is among hundreds of South Sudanese immigrants who live in the Fargo area. For her and others, recent days have been spent worrying about relatives caught in the middle of the fighting.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2670433","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"480","title":"","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"396"}}]]"This is something that shouldn't be going on," she said. "We should live as a brother and sister. There's no need to kill each other."Many of Dei's family members are in the capital city of Juba where heavy fighting broke out Thursday, July 7, but she's only been able to speak with her uncle, who's in hiding, and two cousins, who found shelter at a U.N. camp.She said her two cousins are safe for now, though she's concerned because news outlets reported that gunfire has killed and wounded people being sheltered by the U.N.South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, gained its independence from Sudan five years ago. The recent fighting has been between the loyalists of President Salva Kiir and those of Vice President Riek Machar. Machar is a former rebel leader who became vice president under a deal to end a two-year, ethnically charged civil war that pitted Kiir's Dinka group against Riek's Nuer.The president and vice president called for a ceasefire on Monday night, July 11, and so far it's held. But the peace is tenuous."The situation is still tense. Chances are it could escalate," said Gat-kier Machar, a Fargo resident since 2009.Machar, who's not related to the vice president, said three of his friends, men he grew up with, were killed in the fighting while serving as part of the vice president's security detail.Machar said his 67-year-old mother-in-law and 22-year-old nephew both happened to be visiting Juba when the fighting erupted. "Just bad timing," he said.His mother-in-law, who was living in a refugee camp in Kenya, traveled to South Sudan to reunite with a daughter she had not seen since 1987. Since the fighting started, the mother and daughter have been trying to reach a U.N. camp, but gunfire has prevented them from doing so, Machar said.
His nephew, who was on a break from studying in Uganda, managed to reach a U.N. camp. "He just came for vacation, then all of a sudden this happened," Machar said.Sarah Malwal, a 23-year-old student at North Dakota State University, said the news of the fighting in Juba, a city of about 300,000, prompted her to contact her aunts, uncles and cousins there. She said she was up late trying to reach them over the phone and through social media."The first two nights you just can't sleep because you want to know: What's happening? Are they safe?" she said.None of her relatives have been hurt or had to flee their homes, though getting groceries and other supplies has been a struggle, she said.Malwal, who came to Fargo 12 years ago with her parents, said it troubles her that the focus in South Sudan is on fighting rather than developing the country."It's just heart-aching to me," she said.Reuters contributed to this report.
