Southern Sudan

The Guardian, a British newspaper, recently ran a staggering article about the latest news from Southern Sudan:

A catastrophe in the making:
• There is one doctor per 500,000 people and there are three surgeons in the whole country.
• Female illiteracy is 92%, compared with 62% in Darfur.
• Only 27% of girls are in school and there are 1,000 primary school pupils per teacher.
• Under the peace agreement, the Sudanese People's Liberation Army is to demobilise 180,000 soldiers, starting with women and children.
• About 3% of people have access to sanitation.
• A 15-year-old girl has a higher chance of dying during pregnancy than of completing school. One in six pregnant women die in childbirth.
• An estimated 96% of Southern Sudan's people favour independence from Khartoum. A referendum on the issue is to be held in 2011.
• Southern Sudan suffers 15 of the world's 16 deadliest diseases.