South Sudan is a country rich in natural resources as it is home to natural gas, gold, aluminum, and silver. Yet, according to the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Index, South Sudan and Somalia are the most impoverished countries in the world. For the last decade, South Sudan has been facing numerous challenges: frequent floods, an influx of displaced persons, ongoing conflicts, and refugees fleeing the war in neighboring Sudan.

More than 150,000 people have died and over 12 million have had to flee their homes in Sudan due to a civil war—it is one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world. Since the violence started in 2023, more than half a million people have arrived in South Sudan seeking safety and shelter.

Caritas in South Sudan

For years, Caritas has been providing much-needed aid and support to the communities in South Sudan, including cash assistance, access to drinking water, sanitary facilities, safe places for women and girls, and counseling. Additionally, Caritas offers support for agriculture and delivers essential aid for both local communities recovering from internal violence and over two years of devastating floods.

An on-the-ground mission report

To better assess how to serve the local communities, a delegation from Caritas Italy is visiting camps for displaced persons and refugees from Sudan from October 28 to November 1. The first event was a meeting in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, with Comboni Bishop Christian Carlassare of the diocese of Bentiu.

Bishop Carlassare underlined the crippling economic crisis in the country, which directly affects the resources it has to give to people in need. He stresses the state is out of funds and police officers, teachers, and the entire public sector has not been paid in months. Nevertheless, there is still hope, the Comboni missionary stresses, because it “is alive in the very communities that represent the true strength of the country and the Church.”

The Caritas Italy mission will end with a trip to Kenya, where they have been providing emergency and development programs for years. Now, they are addressing the situation of many still recuperating from recent floods.

Caritas has been present in South Sudan since it gained its independence in 2011.