Letter from the Field - 21 February 2007. Aweil, Sudan
Friends –
I
have been meaning to write for some time but something always comes up to
divert my attention.
I
actually started a letter from a rather sleepy town called – Aweil – the
capital of the state of Northern Bhar el-Ghazal
(NBeG). I spent a week there earlier in the month. More specifically, I first flew
from Juba to Wau (an hour away), which is a considerably bigger town, the capital of Western Bahr el-Ghazal. They have quite a handsome
Catholic “cathedral” there, though I have never been inside. I over-nighted in
Wau and had a good grilled chicken dinner in a “garden restaurant” with a
colleague who heads up our Child Protection Unit, though the generator failed
and we ate in the dark. Then we had a drink at “the Greek club” (a few outdoor
tables in a very dusty compound) -- a Pepsi for me as I don’t drink beer and
you can’t find wine outside of Juba. As I was
able to get an air conditioned container for the night, I slept well and drove myself
in the standard 4x4 white jeep that is the a hallmark of the UN to the
airfield, only a few minutes away. I parked the jeep there, left the keys, and
caught a helicopter for short hop (an hour) to Aweil.
The
town is flat and dusty now – though it floods in the rainy season – and is
characterized by large groves of very old mango trees. At present, the trees
are just in flower, and you can see the sprouting of the mangos – but it will
be some months before the fruit is mature and ripe. (The season is much more
advanced in Juba, where the mangoes should be
ready to pick in about 4-6 weeks.) Many things – from meetings, to dining to
conducting school sessions – are conducted under the mango trees which provide
very nice shade. Unfortunately, they also attract mosquitoes, so the bats that
flutter in their branches at dusk are much appreciated by me as they devour
these pesky little malaria carriers. I have been trying my utmost, with the aid
of Meflaquin (which I have no problem with), mosquito repellent, and zipping my
tent up tight when I sleep) to avoid getting malaria. Miraculously, given all
the travelling I have done in the tropics, I have thus far avoided the fever.
Here,
in Aweil, in the UN compound where I stayed the accommodation is primarily
tents. However, as I was informed before I came that the camp was full at this
time, I had to buy a pup tent in the Konya Konya market in Juba (for the
outrageous price of almost $200) and bring it with me. The investment has was,
however, worth it as, with a mattress someone found for me, I was quite
comfortable for the week I was there. I must admit, however, that if I was
staying in Aweil long term, I would find it a bit trying. The toilets are pit
latrines, with an overpowering smell of ammonia -- and the three shower stalls
(we did get hot water when the generator kicked in – from 7.30-9.00 a.m. and from 7.00-9.00 p.m.) are used by both men and women
with very little privacy. The food – while quite good, was the same for lunch
and dinner, day after day after day – rice, ugali (the Kenyan staple), meat or
chicken stew (sometimes with pumpkin), a cooked green spinach type vegetable,
lentils and bread. Sometimes, there is also a tomato and onion salad. Not a
diet calculated to keep your weight down, particularly as you do very little
walking or exercise. And there really isn’t much you can buy in the market to
supplement the food – some oranges, an apple if you are lucky. While it is too hot and dusty during the days,
at night, it is cold enough to need a warm blanket.
We
(UNMIS Protection) have one staff person stationed here – a very capable UN
Volunteer from Sierra Leone – and I came out for the week to help him finalize
his Work Plan for 2007 and the Action Plan for Protection in the Returns
Process – which is shortly to be in full swing.
In NBeG – one of the 10 states of South Sudan,
the population is 95% Dinka – and in this returns season (i.e., the dry season),
we are expecting perhaps 85,000 people to return, either from Southern Darfur,
Khartoum or other states in the north. There may also be some refugees
returning from camps in Kenya,
Central African Republic
or Uganda.
Some of these returns are organized – this year, a joint operation of the
United Nations, the Government of National Unity in Khartoum, and the Govt of
South Sudan in Juba – which means that people are registered and medically
screened before departure, provided with certain food and non-food items
(plastic sheeting, jerry cans for water), and assisted with transportation
(this could be trucks, or a river barge). It also means that way stations are
established on the returns route where travellers can overnight as they journey
back to their villages of origin – with appropriate water points and latrines,
as well as shelter. Since the returns process should occur in security and with
dignity, UNMIS Protection, together with UNMIS Returns, oversee the operation
to see that people are informed about conditions in their villages of origin as
well as, on route, and to intervene if problems emerge (e.g., if people are
harassed by soldiers, come into conflict with other tribes, if there are
children separated from parents, if women are sexually-abused, and if there are
no services in the villages to which they return).
I
had also hoped on this visit to travel to Malualkon (the seat of the
neighbouring country), about 2 hours way, and to Majok Yienthiou – 20
kilometers further up the road – where there are perhaps as many as 20,000
people who have gathered there since November, having fled from fighting
between two factions of a militia group which split: one supporting the SPLA
(the southern army) and the other SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces, i.e.,
northerners). Unfortunately, we did not get security clearance to go as UN
Security says they have no confirmation that the road is mine free, even though
locals, NGOs and many other UN agencies have been travelling on it for weeks. Such
are the irrationalities and frustrations of the UN system.
So – having been foiled in that effort, and with time on my hands, I
took my shiny new camera – a Nikon SLR that I bought when I was home for the
holidays – and went into the village to take some pictures. As usual, I got
lots of shots of children, some women – dignified in the extremely hard labour
they perform – the tukels (the rounded mud huts covered with thatch) – and the
ubiquitous goats. But I am still learning how to use the camera, so my results
have been modest.
On
my way back to Juba, I stopped again in Wau
and overnighted in Rumbek, the capital of Lakes States, where I had some useful
conversations about protection issues there. Then, after returning “home,” I
took a “Week-end” – actually, Thursday to Saturday, and flew on the UN flight
to Entebbe, indulging by spending one night at the luxurious Emin Pasha Hotel
in Kampala (a lovely villa with 20 rooms set in luxurious garden grounds) – and
the second night in the 5 star Serena Hotel, where I had a manicure, a
pedicure, and a chance to sun bath and swim in the Olympic size pool. I went
with friends and we dined well, shopped a bit, and even did a touristy bit,
visiting the tombs of the former kings of the Buganda.
Now I am back in Juba – and before
ending my assignment here in Southern Sudan, I
will hopefully be visiting Yambio (in Western Equatoria),
Malakal (again, in Upper Nile), and possibly
Yei in Eastern Equatoria, to work with our
teams in various field offices – i.e., the “deeper” field than Juba or Khartoum.
Meanwhile, I am taking the first week of March
(my R&R – rest and recreation) in Sana’a – the capital of Yemen, which I
am told it is a fascinating city, and it is not too expensive to fly there from
Khartoum. When
I finish my assignment in Sudan,
in the second week of April, I am planning a safari in Tanzania, to
visit Serengeti, the Ngoro Ngoro Crater (the game drive), and Lakes Manyara and
Eyasi (with their million flamingoes) .
By that time, I should be ready for my next assignment – whatever that
may be. I have signed on for another year. It imagine that it will be late April
before I know for sure where I will be heading to next. Meanwhile, I am well and thoroughly enjoying the challenge. I will
be in Geneva
for one week in late March, where the 8 or 9 of us in the ProCap program are
coming together to exchange experiences. I am looking forward to that as well.
If you have time, write me and let me know what you are up to. In the
field, its great hearing from friends.
Warmest regards
No comments:
Post a Comment