yesterday i started off for kapoeta, another town where we are installing power generation and electrical distribution. the 270 kilometer drive takes about 8 hours; driving across pot hole infested dirt roads, karamajan (cattle raiders) territory, and dangerous ambush zones. with my "shooter" (or security man) on board, a packed lunch, and a couple boxes of water, we start the drive east. we will convoy with our subcontractor on the project, who is also heading to kapoeta; on the way he picks up two of his own security men. the first half of the journey, from juba to torit, is not dangerous from ambushes, only the terrible roads that wreak havoc on the shocks, struts, and entire heavy duty landcruiser.a few kilometers outside of juba, we encounter a pickup truck stopped by the side of the road with a crowd of security and commoners. we stop and that is when the situation is pointed out. in the ditch on the other side of the road is a kid and it appears that his cheek is shot and blown out. he is laying up against a pile of dirt and since there is a far distance to him, its hard to see what happened to him. the security guys with the pick up were planning to take him into juba to the hospital, so we move on and i ask the driver and security guy to explain what they had been chattering about in arabic. apparently last night a group of people from bor (another city in south sudan) had brought their cows to juba, but were told to leave. basically they were said to get the hell out of here, we don't want you folks here. the bor people decided to ignore this or something of that nature, it was unclear what had taken place...but soldiers got involved and stole the cattle and this kid had tried to steal a gun and was shot or beat up. as we drove on, we encountered a herd of cattle walking down the road herded by a group of soldiers.
at one of our breaks to stretch legs and for the soldiers to puff on their cigarettes.
along the way, we encounter many 'road blocks', often branches laid across the road. in most cases, a police man or soldier, who is sitting under a tree, will remove the branch or in the more sophisticated areas, a broken metal drop arm, and we move on. however some road blocks have soldiers looking to hitch a ride and will give us a bit of a hard time as we argue we are not allowed to take passengers. as we are nearing kapoeta, we encounter the most rudimentary roadblock in the middle of no where, a branch across the road and two kids with ak-47s sitting under a tree. one approaches our vehicle. we ask is the soldiers in the vehicle see what is going on and if they are 'ready'! the kid approaches and lifts the branch, but the soldiers call the kid over and start to interrogate him. If he is a cop, he is suppose to be wearing a uniform. after lecturing the kid, we drive on and finally arrive in kapoeta; after 8 hours of bone jarring roads.
ladies returning home, following the brand new electrical poles and line.
after a brief evening and night in kapoeta, we made the return journey back to juba. during breakfast at the mango camp over a cup of instant starbucks coffee, i talked to someone who had worked in sudan since the 70s. before going on, i must say this instant starbucks coffee is a life saver. it was given to me free when i bought a bag of coffee at starbucks and is instant coffee that actually tastes (really close) to real brewed coffee. this will become a new travel item to areas that lack decent java. anyway, we talked about the recent WFP (world food program) lorry (big truck) that was ambushed and three people shot...this happen only 2-3 days ago. apparently there are two clans/tribes that have been feuding over cattle and sometimes decide to hijack or ambush a passing vehicle. they shoot at the windshield so the driver stops or skids off the road, then move in to take what they want. i had the "shoot" sit in the front seat on the way back since we would be traveling alone; he would have a better vantage point should anything happen. the first stretch of roadway is the most dangerous.
leaving kapoeta. not sure where everyone is going...
although all one sees along the road is bushes, apparently there are many villages beyond the bushes and it is surprising in the most random places you'll see someone pop out of the bushes.
last time i had been here, we had to turn back on our return drive due to flooding at this stream crossing.
we are now in the area where the WFP lorry had been ambushed and we pass it later on. there are now a bunch of soldiers camped out there, watching it. we drive on, vigilant for any roadblocks or people. this is taposa land, a tough cattle herding tribe. from what i have gathered, they don't like outsiders and during the war they stayed in sudan instead of fleeing to uganda or kenya and ended up fighting on both sides. they are now in an on going feud with another tribe over cattle (and probably land).
typical huts in the villages we pass.
now we are passing the cliff dwellers, nestled up in the rocks, this is a land mark signifying we are about out of the most hostile land.
more cliff dwellers.
this stretch of land supposedly cuts through the low lands that are being fought over or where, as the driver put it, is the 'battle' ground. behind us are the cliff dwellers and in front the other tribe, the name i forget.
one of the many bridges in dire needs of improvement.
finally out of the dangerous area, we stop to stretch the legs.
as we approach juba, we encounter a huge herd of cattle on the road and they are being herded by soldiers. the driver comments, "these are the bor cattle from yesterday". i reply, "so that means the bor people are going to be coming to juba to try to get their cows back?". to which i get a definite yes. so once again the cycle continues; one group raids or steals another cattle, the other one will take revenge. to put cattle in perspective, we can think of it like an investment account or bank savings account. the most prized possession in sudan, cattle are precious commodities and an ongoing asset that is fought over.
out the back window.
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