A UN camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) on the outskirts of Malakal in Upper Nile state, South Sudan. Months of fierce fighting have reduced the town to rubble. Soldiers patrol the ruins, where people occasionally return to salvage belongings. Malakal was at the centre of the conflict that erupted in December and control of the town has changed hands repeatedly. About 21,000 people who fled the area reside in the camp. Many dread the rainy season, which has flooded parts of the site
Rains have transformed the camp into a muddy swamp
The constant downpours have worsened basic living conditions, heightening fears of a cholera epidemic
Aid workers in Malakal say the camp has the worst sanitation conditions in the region. Rain has submerged much of the site, and many of those who sought refuge inside its barbed-wire fences have been forced to sleep in flooded, muddy tents
Many survivors of the conflict are traumatised, plagued by stress and painful memories of lost loved ones. For many, the church serves an important role in psychological healing. Here, a handful of people gather in a nearby field to pray. Some speak in tongues while others weep
During a service, a man attempts to expel demons from a girl
Achol Onak sits outside her makeshift home where she and her family have lived for nearly three months. They had been sleeping on the ground during the dry season, but now rainwater has swept into the home and flooded the floor. The children sleep in the family's only bed while Achol sleeps sitting up. Her husband says he does not sleep at all because there is nowhere for him to sit or lie
Achol says her life changed suddenly one morning, which had started like any other. The older children were getting ready for school, while she and her husband prepared for a day in the fields. Then the family heard the fast-approaching ring of gunfire. In a wild panic they grabbed what they could and rushed to the church for shelter. Achol’s frail, elderly father was left behind. He was killed that morning.
But the church could not provide the haven the family had hoped. Armed men in military fatigues barged in and ransacked the building. The Onaks, who were hiding at the back, managed to escape through a small side exit and dashed towards the nearby UN base, chased by a hail of bullets.
Just short of the site the family was stopped by rebels and forced to their knees. They were seconds away from being executed when one of the militiamen had a sudden change of heart. He decided that the children should be spared. After a few minutes of deliberation, the entire family was released unharmed
Rains have forced Achol to leave the UN base, even though she feels vulnerable beyond its barbed perimeter. Flooding in the camp means she has to fetch dry soil to create a barrier to prevent rainwater from inundating their plywood and tarpaulin shanty
Sarah Simon watches as her mother attempts to start a fire to heat water. Achol has been gathering branches to sell as firewood. With the proceeds she has bought fresh fish, providing a welcome break from the family's usual diet of sorghum and beans
A poster of South Sudan's president has been plastered on a parked car. Salva Kiir and the rebel leader, Riek Machar, recently met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, amid growing international pressure. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 9 May, but fighting has rumbled on. For Achol, the details of the deal no longer matter. She has decided to flee with her family to Khartoum, in neighbouring Sudan, rather than rely on the peace efforts
Due to limited space inside the tents, most displaced people sleep outdoors and are at the mercy of the elements. The rains are not expected to subside until October or November
Many displaced people fear a cholera outbreak in camp. Sanitation conditions are poor and thousands of IDPs struggle to stay clean, a near impossibility during the rainy season. According to the World Health Organisation, there have been 2,340 cholera cases including 63 deaths in South Sudan since the rains started
People queue for food under an ominous sky. Rain has hampered the delivery of supplies in several parts of the country, so provisions are either airdropped or not delivered at all. In Malakal shipments have been delayed, and many of the camp's residents are severely rationing their supplies amid uncertainty over when the next delivery will arrive.
Since these photographs were taken, about 10,000 IDPs have been relocated to a drier site within the compound
