In the new nation's east, where poor rains have caused widespread hunger, women, children and the elderly have joined the hordes of people seeking their fortune through this back-breaking labour.
Like many of the ethnic Toposa people living in Eastern Equatoria State, Adele Natogo came to Nanakanak, an area of scrubland with just a few stick houses, one month ago, after walking five hours from Lomeyen Village, in Kapoeta North County.
She left her nine children at home, hungry, after hearing that the earth around Kapoeta was filled with gold. "I'm here because of hunger, because there is nothing for my family and no food to give the children," she told IRIN.
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