Story

Gun Culture Plagues South Sudan

July 10, 2012 | CNN
By
Trevor Snapp, For the Pulitzer Center

To fight back against militants, South Sudanese villagers who call themselves "Arrow Boys" have formed self-defense forces. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

Thousands of guns have been seized during civilian disarmament campaigns. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

Children play on the bullet-marked wall of a decaying school. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

A warrior for the Sudan People's Liberation Army. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

Shotgun shells are among the items sold at a market in Western Equatoria. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

A woman grieves for her husband after government forces shot him during a protest against election results in 2010. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

An army veteran celebrates memorial day in Yei. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

A warrior with AK-47 scarification marks prepares for battle with a neighboring tribe. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

A boy sits in a Catholic church in Tambura after attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

Sudan People's Liberation Army soldiers load their guns before escorting an aid convoy. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

A teenager takes a gun from his younger brother. It is their responsibility to defend the family's cattle. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

Members of the vigilante "Arrow Boys" militia stand guard after their town was attacked. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

A tribal warrior at a cattle camp near Rumbek. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

New police recruits train near Bentiu, the capital of the oil-rich Unity state. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

Relatives grieve for an education minister at a public funeral in South Sudan. He was shot by the LRA. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

A soldier's boots and gun rest outside a temporary military base in the Nuba mountains. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

A woman waits for surgery after she was shot through the chest during an alleged dispute with her husband. Image by Trevor Snapp. South Sudan, 2012.

A year ago, South Sudan became the world’s newest nation, splitting from Sudan as part of a peace deal that ended decades of civil war. But the widespread availability of guns has made it difficult to deter violence in the region. “When wars end, peace does not necessarily arrive,” photographer Trevor Snapp says.