Special Report: Blue Nile - Sudan's Forgotten Front

Today's humanitarian news and analysis  Online version World Refugee Week highlights the big conflicts around the world that force millions of people from their homes. But in the southeastern corner of Sudan a little-known struggle has depopulated an entire region. Blue Nile – Sudan's Forgotten Front is an exclusive in-depth IRIN report from inside rebel-held territory. A small team of filmmakers and writers spent two weeks touring the region documenting the humanitarian tragedy – from the terror of being bombed from the sky, to a slower death from hunger and disease In this report: EXCLUSIVE look inside Sudan's forgotten Blue Nile conflict INTERACTIVE with videos, maps, timeline, and explainers INTERVIEWS with rebel military and political leaders REVEALED: how repurposed Janjaweed militia have opened up a new front EXPLORED: how gold and gum arabic fuel the cycle of conflict   Blue Nile sits on the southern frontier of Sudan, where war has raged for more than 60 years. The fight is a continuation of the struggle that birthed the world's newest nation, an independent South Sudan, in 2011. It's also a humanitarian crisis that has been compounded by the evacuation of all international aid organisations. This interactive multimedia package draws on rare interviews with military and political leaders of the rebellion, and those caught up in the violence who are just trying to survive. It reveals how the notorious Janjaweed militia are being redeployed to Blue Nile as a paramilitary wing of the regular army. It also explores the spluttering peace process, which is denying people desperately needed food aid; and explains how the economic lifeline of locally mined gold and gum arabic is smuggled north, to profit a government trying to crush the rebellion. The package includes maps, timelines, and rare film footage from inside a rebel training camp. Blue Nile holds great promise. It sits on a literal gold mine and the land is among the most fertile in the country. But a lifetime of war has bought nothing but suffering. If it wasn't so neglected, could there be a path to peace? See the feature. See also our in-depth page highlighting the best of our refugee and migration coverage from the past year. What else is trending on IRIN? Copyright © 2016 IRIN, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list delivered to:  giftforfamily.giftforyou3@blogger.com Copyright © 2016 IRIN, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list delivered to:  giftforfamily.giftforyou3@blogger.com