Here in the village of Mapel nine children have died within the past week. If the latest cease-fire holds, the tide could be turned, but it will make little difference here. And in one more cruel twist of irony there is now rain too late to save what is expected to be another wretched harvest, but enough to add to the misery of those who are homeless, abandoned, and lost. In normal times orphaned children here could expect to be adopted by another family. But times in southern Sudan are not normal.
Parents now can t feed their own children, let alone take in any more.
There is hope that some of these children will be reunited with relatives. But it seems a forlorn one. Abwol Boll s four short years have brought only suffering, and it s difficult to see how the years ahead can hold out the promise of anything much better.