South Sudan, 2018

South Sudan is the world’s youngest country. Soon after gaining independence in 2011, fighting broke out between the government and rebel forces, compounding the problems already present after decades of civil war while part of Sudan: famine, extreme poverty and a chronic lack of infrastructure. For several years, as South Sudan’s civil war continued, and hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee the violence, ethnic tensions found in rural areas were brought to the capital Juba and to camps like Mahad, which is home to over 7,750 internally displaced persons or IDP’s. Fuelled by stories about ethnic clashes back home, young men from different tribes regularly battled each other in the camp, and although they fought with sticks instead of guns, serious injuries were not uncommon.  

I travelled to Juba, South Sudan, with writer Nick Schönfeld for Light For The World to document how “Sports for Peace” is easing tensions in Mahad. Launched by Light for the World in 2014, the programme brings young men from different tribes onto the same football team and into shared community work—building shelters for people with disabilities and running night safety patrols—reducing stick fights sparked by ethnic rivalries and displacement. The initiative has helped defuse violence, strengthen cooperation, and even seen several players selected for South Sudan’s national team.