"There are big hopes now that the referendum for independence has taken place. Like most people here, I am happy with the result. I am from Lakes State and the civil war has been present almost my whole life. Now I am slightly optimistic. There are so many open questions however. Abyei, the oil-rich region disputed between the North and the South is still a tinderbox. If the peace agreement is broken, violence can escalate very quickly. Insecurity remains a reality and we have to be prepared for that.

"In terms of the medical sector, statistics are dramatic: it is estimated that 75 percent of people in Southern Sudan have no access to basic medical care. The few health centres or hospitals are just too far away and transportation is often too expensive and unaffordable to a population where 90 percent live on less than one US dollar per day. Moreover, during the rainy season, many regions are very hard to reach. I know of many patients who have come to our clinics after weeks or even months of being sick. The local authorities do not have enough resources and capacity to deliver the services and without organisations like MSF, the situation would be even worse."I have been working with MSF for almost 13 years, most of the time here in my home country. I know well the effects of instability, displacement, poverty and the lack of infrastructure. And now, in addition to that, many Southern Sudanese people who had fled the war to the North and neighbouring countries are now returning to places where there are not enough basic services, where the roads, if they exist, are bad, where there is no work, not enough schools and limited healthcare. According to figures from the UN, more than 190, 000 people have returned between October 2010 and the end of January 2011.
"Far too many people in Southern Sudan die of diseases like diarrhoea or malaria. Many children and adults do not have enough to eat. When they have to flee from insecurity, they may not have safe drinking water, and are more vulnerable to diseases. Last year, our emergency team had to respond to a massive increase of malnutrition in Unity State. In 2010, we also experienced a very high prevalence of Kala Azar, a neglected, tropical disease that is in most cases deadly if not treated. We saw eight times the number of cases than in the previous year .

"'Without your help we would not be alive' – these are words I have heard from our patients several times. But our work will also be at risk if fighting increases, as we can only treat people who manage to get to our clinics or those we have the access to reach. The insecurity can make it impossible for many patients to get help. If violence increases, we will have to adapt our work accordingly.  I hope we will still be able to help many people. In spite of all difficulties, I am very happy to work here and have the chance to contribute to improving  the situation for some people."