South Sudan

Even in an undeveloped country like South Sudan, Ganyliel can feel like the middle of nowhere; a bunch of tiny islands surrounded by a gigantic swampy floodplain fed by the River Nile during rainy season. To get here I took a helicopter from the capital, then ditched my sneakers for gumboots, and waded out into water is too deep for an SUV and too shallow for a speedboat. I board a canoe made of a hollowed-out palm tree.

In a conflict zone, getting the basics — food, water, shelter — is a constant challenge. And it likely involves being on the move.

Now imagine pregnancy. There might not be a functioning medical facility for miles. And the environment makes the woman and her baby more susceptible to complications.

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by John Burnett

There were hopes that the new rulers of South Sudan might somehow break the African mold of big men lining their pockets with big money. But the trend in Juba, the capital, is alarming. The infant nation of South Sudan is barely a year old, and it's already engulfed in scandals over top officials allegedly looting the treasury.

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