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South Sudan and Ethiopia

Tristan McConnell gauges the threat of famine to tens of thousands of lives in South Sudan; Aidan O'Donnell takes in the pilgrims and the pints in the holy city of Harar.

In South Sudan, Tristan McConnell has been weighing up the threat of famine, after six months of fighting between the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups, which have left crops unsown or destroyed, and livestock untended or stolen. For once, the climate has been kind - there is no drought, flooding or heatwave - but the UN is still predicting that tens of thousands may die of famine in the coming months, far more than were killed in the fighting itself. In the capital, Juba, and the town of Leer, there are disturbing signs of even harder times to come.

Over the border, Aidan O'Donnell visits the city of Harar - revered as one of the holiest sites in Islam due to its profusion of mosques, but also home to a famous brewery. Amid the pilgrims, the merchants and the hustlers, there's time for a beer - and a few thoughts about why global brands are queuing up to invest in Ethiopia.

(Photo: Scorched earth: A compound of burnt tukuls (huts) destroyed during fighting between Nuer and Dinka groups, at a village in Panyijiar county, Unity state, South Sudan. CreditL Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images)

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11 minutes

Last on

Thu 3 Jul 2014 19:50GMT

Broadcast

  • Thu 3 Jul 2014 19:50GMT