Christopher Farber

Photography: Fragile Ground - Sudan

A brutal 20 year civil war between Northern and Southern Sudan ended in 2005. In January 2007, millions of refugees began returning to Southern Sudan from camps in neighboring countries. With aid from the international community and confidence in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the Southern Sudanese hope to rebuild their region. In 2011, the Sudanese people will vote in a national referendum for separation along their northern/southern divide. At stake are immense oil reserves located in the South, but currently controlled by the North. Over the next four years, there will be tremendous expectations for Southern Sudan and its returnee population to develop economically, socially and democratically. They are faced with the delicate balance of hopes for peace and prosperity against the very strong likelihood of another civil war.

Sudanese refugees return from Ethiopia and reach a camp in Boma, Sudan, after three weeks of walking.
  
Returning refugees spend their first moments in their homeland, the Sudan, by taking cover from the sun under the wing of a plane.
   
Sudanese refugees reunite with family upon arrival in Juba, Sudan, after 20 years in exile in the Central African Republic.
     
  
Sudanese refugees reunite with family upon arrival in Juba, Sudan, after 20 years in exile in the Central African Republic.
   
Sudanese refugees arrive in Juba, Sudan from a refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya, with their personal effects. After twenty years of displacement, returnees have little certainty for the future in a country many are too young to remember.
   
Musa Mohammed and his daughter Bishara, returns to the Sudan from a refugee czamp in the Central African Republic after 29 years of displacement due to civil war. An estimated 2 million Sudanese refugees will return to Southern Sudan during the next two years.
     
  
A young Sudanese boy recovering from measles is medically screened before relocation to Mundri, which his family left up to 16 years ago because of the civil war. Because of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between North and South Sudan, many refugees are returning to reclaim their land, and are pushing IDP's out of the areas they have squatted in for almost two decades. The relocation is being facilitated by the International Organization for Migration. The boy is told he will be left behind and must travel at a later date, due the the risk of spreading measles to other children during transit.
   
An Ambororo nomad, whose tribe has faced uncertainty since civil war interrupted their migration routes. A lack of rule of law in disputes between Ambororo and local tribes has led to violent rebuttals from tribes who feel Ambororo cattle destroy their crops.
   
A woman rests under a tree in Juba, Sudan. Aside from working as a soldier, or creating micro-business, there is very little opportunity for employment.
     
  
Despite their relief as they reach their home nation, Sudanese refugees in Boma, Sudan face intimidation from local people who are afraid the returnees will take jobs and resources.
   
Issack Mouhamed Noah, a Sudanese refugee living in the Central African Republic, shows an infected tooth that was broken during a confrontation with local poice. Sudanese refugees who fled to camps in the Central African republic often face brutality at the hands of local police and citizens due to tension over competition for land, resources, and jobs.
   
Sudanese refugees show a photograph of friends that were beaten to death by local police while in exile in refugee camps in the Central African Republic in 2007. While in exile, Sudanese nationals suffered harrassment and beatings by local police who resented their presence.
     
  
Local staff from the International Organization for Migration load three month supplies of sorghum onto trucks. The sorghum is supplied by the World Food Programme to aid the transition from refugee camp to open society in Southern Sudan.
   
An Ambororo woman and child, whose tribe has faced uncertainty since civil war interrupted their migration routes. A lack of rule of law in disputes between Ambororo and local tribes has led to violent rebuttles from tribes who feel Ambororo cattle destroy their crops.
   
A Sudanese child at a way station set up by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. The UNHCR facilitates return movements for refugees displaced by the civil war.
     
  
A black board at an Islamic primary school in Juba, Sudan.
   
Headmaster Mohammed Abbker Yosif, at his primary school in Juba, Sudan. During the civil war, education was largely interrupted, and now faces obstacles such as a shortage of qualified teachers, dilapidated facilities, and not enough food to keep children focused throughout the day.
   
Used workbooks at a primary school in Juba, Southern Sudan.
     
  
A student at an Islamic primary school in Juba, Sudan. During the civil war, education was largely interrupted, and now faces obstacles such as a shortage of qualified teachers, dilapidated facilities, and not enough food to keep children focused throughout the day.