The Making of a Country: South Sudan After Independence
Krista Mahr traveled to South Sudan in the wake of its independence to report on how the country was creating itself.
"The country is very underdeveloped and hasn't gotten a lot of financial help during the war years, so it finds itself in a really precarious situation where it has to build a lot of its institutions--both government and civil--really from scratch," she says.
Though Mahr has reported extensively from other developing countries, she was surprised by South Sudan's lack of infrastructure. However, she notes, the South Sudanese have seen a steady increase in development. "It has come a really long way," Mahr says.
One of the country's biggest challenges, she said, is setting up South Sudan's legal processes. "There was an endless amount of stories to be told," she continues. "I could have easily stayed there for six more months."
Krista Mahr reported from South Sudan on a grant with the International Reporting Project (IRP). Video by Melody Wilson.
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