南蘇丹的越洋電話 港人救援者:戰火蔓延時 救與被救同樣無奈
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南蘇丹的越洋電話 港人救援者:戰火蔓延時 救與被救同樣無奈

22.12.2017
Al-Nimir camp in Sudan is home to some 5,800 South Sudanese refugees who have fled conflict and food shortages back home. ; Since December 2013, over 400,000 South Sudanese have fled to safety in neighbouring Sudan. Al-Nimir camp opened in April 2017 and by mid-August was hosting some 5,800 refugees, nearly all of them women and children from Western Bahr el Ghazal State. As worsening violence continues to force people from their homes in South Sudan, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, visited refugees and the host community in Al-Nimir and called on warring parties, regional states and the international community to urgently establish peace. Conflict and drought have displaced nearly four million South Sudanese both inside the country and beyond its borders. Efforts to restore peace have so far proven unsuccessful.

南蘇丹——這個地球上最新成立的國家,也是全球陷入最緊急人道危機的所在地,相比中東,卻遠遠不受矚目。

2011年從蘇丹獨立後,不過兩年,南蘇丹總統府指摘馬沙爾圖謀政變,引發兩派陷入內戰。今年二月,聯合國正式宣佈南蘇丹爆發饑荒,一度有高達五百萬人待糧食救援。根據聯合國最新數據,共有213萬人淪為難民,分別逃到烏干達、埃塞俄比亞和蘇丹,六成為婦孺。好景不常,南蘇丹周邊國家同樣處於動盪,即使糧食吃緊,自身難保,截至今年十一月, 有二十八萬來自其他國家的難民,流入南蘇丹。

難民區來自香港的人

距離香港九千公里以外,卻有一個香港人堅持守護這一群難民。在首都朱巴,聯合國難民署辦事處的難民保護項目主任莫天允(下稱Andrew),主要負責首都範圍內的難民事務工作,包括資格甄別,評估流離失所者,訓練南蘇丹政府官員,制定對難民政策,以及向難民營提供生活基本援助,法律及物資援助。

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「進入南蘇丹的難民,有自蘇丹來的,有幾個地區爭取獨立,結果出現軍事衝突,鄉村田地被毀,種不了食物;又有自東非而來,受戰爭毒害的;也有自南蘇丹北方逃難而來的。」他解釋,這些難民之所以由一個火坑逃到另一個火坑,主要原因有二,一來資訊不流通,二來也負擔不起逃到更遠國家的路費,最終來到南蘇丹,居住在難民營。

「你不會想像得到,一個有戰亂的國家,竟然有人來尋求庇護,尤其戰況激烈,處身南蘇丹和蘇丹之間,因緣際會,他們根本沒有選擇。」

2016年,1200萬人口中,光是南蘇丹境內流離失所的人就有將近二百萬人,許多人逃到首都朱巴在途中被親政府的自衛隊或種族的衛隊殺掉。平均五個人中就有一個失去家園,相等於香港整個九龍的人口。

救不了難民 卻被難民所救

人道救援者不是超人,能醫不自醫,他曾經感到無能為力。

201677日,Andrew數天前剛剛自假期中恢復工作。他清楚記得,臨下班前,朱巴總統府外率先爆發武裝衝突,政府軍與反政府軍激戰,槍聲密集,出動攻擊直升機、坦克等等,足足激戰四日,聯合國辦公室內一眾工作人員不能離開辦公室,電話不停地響,滿是混亂、不明朗的消息,難以印證真偽,「運作相當有限」。

"We want peace." Internally displaced women and children are photographed in their shelter at POC3 camp in Juba during a visit by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. ; The refugee crisis in South Sudan has displaced almost 4 million people since the conflict began in December 2013. In July 2016, the disastrous breakdown of peace efforts in South Sudan contributed to a mass outflow of people fleeing for their lives. By June 2017, nearly 1.87 million people had fled the country and a further 1.9 million were internally displaced. Two-thirds are under the age of 18 and many of them have witnessed brutal violence, fleeing their villages when armed groups burned down their houses and killed their neighbours. During a three-day visit to the world's fastest growing displacement crisis, UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said peace is the only lasting solution for the millions of displaced.

Andrew2010年起在聯合國工作,曾經到伊拉克等地服務,卻是第一次遇到軍方的正面衝突。正當此時,有位難民求救,聲音驚慌失措,告知他屋企周圍有重大戰爭衝突,天花板有被打中彈痕,只能躲起來。「這個情況,我們也困在了辦公室,突然覺得好無能為力。」衝突中有起碼三百軍民被殺,包括33名平民,多名中國藉和盧旺達和平救援者受傷,直至總統下停火令。

兩三日後,正正是同一位難民致電,當時離聯合國難民公署頗近,他一邊趴在地下避流彈,一邊打電話,通風報訊,他聽說鄰近有人聯群結黨,想劫掠難民公署的糧倉,Andrew馬上聯絡負責保全的同事,成功阻止事件發生。「即使他們安全受到威脅,仍然願意幫助我們。」

他們沒有救難民的命,卻被難民救了他們的命。

2013年內戰迅速爆發,短短四年間,最少有79名人道工作者境內遇襲身亡,今年最少有12人,並持續有多個人道救援組織的基地和糧倉遭受襲擊並劫掠。

至今「治安相當不理想」,武裝分子和組織仍然活躍,在1129日,在一次種族之間的衝突中,就有聯合國人道救援者喪生。All is fair in love and war. 你擔心自己有生命危險嗎?「始終要去幫助這裡的人,也要接受有這件事。」遙遠話筒內傳來的聲音停頓,Andrew帶點無奈說。

Al-Nimir camp in Sudan is home to some 5,800 South Sudanese refugees who have fled conflict and food shortages back home. ; Since December 2013, over 400,000 South Sudanese have fled to safety in neighbouring Sudan. Al-Nimir camp opened in April 2017 and by mid-August was hosting some 5,800 refugees, nearly all of them women and children from Western Bahr el Ghazal State. As worsening violence continues to force people from their homes in South Sudan, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, visited refugees and the host community in Al-Nimir and called on warring parties, regional states and the international community to urgently establish peace. Conflict and drought have displaced nearly four million South Sudanese both inside the country and beyond its borders. Efforts to restore peace have so far proven unsuccessful.

衝突完結後,稍稍平靜,立即接到數以千計的人援助,最少有一千人逃到朱巴的聯合國辦事處避難。團隊留下少部份人留守,第一時間到首都外圍,拜訪收容南蘇丹人民的難民營作出評估,迅速透過NGO和政府機關理解情況,又成立熱線,無止境的衝突。他記憶猶新,首都衝突隨即蔓延到南蘇丹以外地區,八至九月,有難民營被攻擊,導致幾千人要疏散。

越洋電話訪問期間,曾經一度斷線超過半小時。即使首都朱巴較為安全,他不時要遠赴邊境,一個月前,他曾乘三四小時車程,到西南毗鄰剛果的邊境小鎮辦事處,甄別尋求政治庇護者,不惜以身犯險。一旦確認難民資格,就可以提供庇護,另外有執法部門拘留難民,他們也要到拘留中心,幫助調解,向政府解釋。

「我們不能選擇難民去哪裡,在偏遠地區也要應變,為他們提供援助。」

資源短缺

聯合國難民公署面臨嚴重資金短缺,根據最新報告,要解決南蘇丹蔓延到非洲的人道危機,2017年實際預達九億美元,目前只籌得所需的百分之二十一。「救助難民,經常遇到資源不足問題。唯一選擇是定下先後次序,集中所有資源,處理必要的基本服務,譬如難民營的醫療服務,基本維生,如水源設施,長遠目的,例如培訓機會,民生援助,幫助難民自力更生。」

作為人道救援者,他們一方面收容來投靠辦事處的人,提供針對性物資援助,或者安排短期工作計劃,比方當守衛,一方面透過難民社區網絡,將無法謀生的人送出去,但不過杯水車薪。

Two young refugee children from South Sudan walk back to their shelter at Al-Nimir camp in Sudan, the day before the High Commissioner's visit in mid-August 2017. ; Since December 2013, over 400,000 South Sudanese have fled to safety in neighbouring Sudan. Al-Nimir camp opened in April 2017 and by mid-August was hosting some 5,800 refugees, nearly all of them women and children from Western Bahr el Ghazal State. As worsening violence continues to force people from their homes in South Sudan, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, visited refugees and the host community in Al-Nimir and called on warring parties, regional states and the international community to urgently establish peace. Conflict and drought have displaced nearly four million South Sudanese both inside the country and beyond its borders. Efforts to restore peace have so far proven unsuccessful.

授人以魚不如授人以漁,這個道理誰都知道。他指出,有來自蘇丹的難民,以往可以在朱巴靠一雙手,開小型雜貨店、小攤檔等自力更生,然而隨經濟惡化,政府長期頼以為生的石油產業幾乎崩潰,通漲超過三倍,許多店舖倒閉,許多難民無法獨立生活,「連基本糧食也負擔不起」,危險處處,根本無法工作。

「長遠而言,我們肯留下來,但也在想怎樣留下來。」Andrew嘆氣,戰爭的代價,往往由平民承擔,「難民也是一般人,來自各種背景的人都有,他們的需要、擔憂師和對未來的希望,也是跟一般人一樣。」

(圖片由聯合國難民公署提供)

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