But in my first days here I have been struck by the extent of trauma people have experienced - and real worries that the violence that has rocked South Sudan since mid-December may not be over.

The capital of Juba is calm, but it is only "outwardly" so, one of the Catholic sisters I have been interviewing told me.

And the calm hides anger and grievances that could, with the right kindling, flare up again.

Fear and worry are palpable.

Last Sunday, I attended a Mass at a displacement camp run by the U.N., and after the service, several young men expressed real concern about what may be ahead.

They and their families - Juba residents - had been displaced in the recent violence and are not going back to their neighbourhoods because they are afraid for their lives.

"It is hard for us because the fighting is still going on, and we could still be killed," said John Khalid Mamun, 32.

The violence stems from multiple layers of political and ethnic tension and grievance.

Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes and communities, undermining hope for the future of a country barely three years old. Continue reading.

Chris Herlinger is a writer and journalist, particularly on humanitariam issues. He is currently in South Sudan with the National Catholic Reporter, covering the situation of political tension and escalating violence in the world's newest country.

Source: National Catholic Reporter

Image: CWS Global

Tell me the ideology or political view that outweighs the right to life?

Around 9.3 million of Syria's 23 million inhabitants need aid. The number of people who have lost their homes or been forced to flee has now reached 6.5 million in Syria and over 2 million in neighbouring countries.

But behind every single number there is a fellow human being who cherishes life, loves his or her family and simply wants to live in peace.

Shaha and Abboud Ibrahim have two lovely girls and fled from Hasaki in Syria.

When an eighteen day battle raged around them they were trapped. When they and their children emerged into daylight so they could escape buildings continued to burn around them and dead bodies littered the streets.

Abboud told me, "A lot of our neighbours were killed or injured by shrapnel, we saw their bodies - we thought we would be next - the children were starving. We fled into the wild. It took us a month to walk to Lebanon." Continue reading.

Val Morgan is Media Officer for SCIAF, Scotland's Catholic International Development Agency and part of Caritas International. She recently visited Lebanon.

Source: Caritas Blog

Image: Shaha Ibrahim and one of her daughters, Val Morgan/SCIAF