Who Am I to Judge

I am feeling somewhat remorseful. A thought swept over me during a Remembrance Day memorial while in Juba awaiting my last and final deployment to Torit. It happened during a conversation I had with a UNMAO (MINE ACTION) employee just before the event begun. “People seem to forget that it was only a few years ago that this place was at war. People being killed everywhere. Bodies lying out on the roadways left to rot. Families torn apart.” I have at times become frustrated, angry, upset at the lack of will to change and also the lack of trust, faith, and respect that some of the people of Southern Sudan have towards the United Nations presence. The latter I relate more to higher ranking officials in SSPS, SPLA, and the government.

A Rwandan UNPOL told me, while we were working together in Yambio, that they felt the same way towards the UN in his country, driving around in their fancy vehicles, not really understanding what they were there for. Not able to help them when they really needed it. He said that it was only until years later that he and his people were able to look back and understand it. Who am I to judge the people of Southern Sudan. I should simply be pleased with being given the opportunity to help in any way I can and keep pushing forward. Hopefully something we have done here will have made a difference and I should be happy to have been a part of it. And maybe they to will only realize our purpose and accomplishments when we have left. When that will be I do not know. Part of me believes that I will be sitting at home one day watching the news and seeing places that I have been to at war yet again. There are too many issues that remain to be resolved. Who am I to judge…I get to go home to a condo, big screen tv, a fridge full of food and drink, clean water, pubs and restaurants, surfing and campfires, and relative peace. I get to go home in February. I have to go home in February.

I started working in Torit on November 11th. I was not sure what to expect when I got here. I am in Eastern Equatoria now. The climate is much warmer. The UN camp the same. My container a carbon copy of the last two I have lived in. There is no chemically treated water here for the UN personnel. The Bangladesh Battalion, our force protection, have chemically treated water, however, it is not always available to us so I have dug my water purifying equipment out of my barrack box, dusted it off, and set it up so I can drink the water here when I have to.

I feel re-energized and have hit the ground running. My official duties here are still being decided so for now I am out on patrols taking as much of it in as I can. I enjoy patrols because I see more of the countryside and get to interact with the locals. Landmines are an issue here. I was warned before coming, but did not realize the seriousness until one of the patrols I went on. We are encouraged to try and keep on well used roadways as much as possible. Once in a while a shortcut is necessary. Torit was hit hard during the war and there was a lot of fighting between the SAF (Sudan Armed Forces) and the SPLA. A lot of people were killed and landmines placed everywhere. Rarely were the landmine sites ever documented making it difficult to know where they are. Torit was hit with a lot of rain during the rainy season which has limited travel on some of the roads. My Zambian patrol partner and I were about to take a short cut the other day when a local stopped us and told us that it was not safe. We turned back. There is a lot of work yet to be done in Torit regarding mines. No more shortcuts for me. My morning runs are not down any trails either. It is the road for me and nothing more.

The main local tribe in Torit are the Latuko. They feel like Torit belongs to them. Many of them can be seen naked in the local stream bathing. Men and women together. When someone dies, they walk naked to the funeral. A tradition of their people. The local food is similar to other places I have been. A lot of imports from Kenya and Uganda. The odd local fruits and vegetables are also available. The same stench of raw meat, dried fish, and body odour fills the air while I walk through the market saying, “Salaam Alykum” to as many of the locals I can. Arabic is the main language used here. As I walk back to my UN vehicle, a physically disabled man drags himself down the street. He has legs, but they are severely distorted. Probably due to polio for which he never received treatment. No wheel chair for him and I can not give him a ride. It is a little heart wrenching. I pull my camera out and hold it by my side away from wandering eyes and snap a quick photograph. I do not feel guilty about it.

I have witnessed first hand where the local governments tend to spend a lot of their money. I have been to parties at the Governor’s House in Yambio. Hundreds of people being served with food, beer, whiskey, children singing, long self serving speeches that seem like they will never end simply to commemorate the arrival of a new government official. And yet the local hospital is in ruins, the mentally challenged roam the streets with no food or drink, the physically challenged use their hands to drag themselves from place to place.

The local population is generally happy to see the UN around. If they only knew that the likelihood of more war could be just around the corner. It is a love/hate relationship with this place. I can not wait to go home to…well, home, friends, and family, yet I am also starting to have a difficult time thinking of leaving this place. It has become somewhat comfortable here. A home away from home. It is probably good that the RCMP will not give us the opportunity to extend our mission. So I sit here in my container smoking my shisha filling my lungs with the cool sweet smoke of apple flavoured tobacco (it is quickly developing into a habit). It relaxes me. I am looking forward to tomorrow, the next week, and the next few months.

Peace from Torit,

Rory.

(Photos from top to bottom: 1) My home in Torit, 2) My water purifying set up, 3) Torit Market, 4) Local at the market, 5) Women hard at work...where can I find a woman like this)

"Bangaladeshi Bangaladeshi!!!"

Well I am in Maridi for now. It is very similar to Yambio and is still part of the Western Equatoria State approximately 60 kilometres from the Congo border, but is maybe a little more rustic or let's just say, a step further back in time. The main tribe here is the Baka tribe, but the most common language is arabic. The threats are the same, however, the last time the LRA was in Maridi was in February 2007. They entered the town abducted approximately five people and killed two. They were spotted just outside the team site before the SPLA gave chase and they escaped into the jungle. This is according to our Language Assistant, Moses, who was born and now lives here with his family. The chance of the LRA coming into Maridi again is minimal. As the case is in Yambio, there is a very strong contingent of SPLA soldiers here and it would be too great of a risk for the LRA as they would likely lose any type of battle and suffer great losses.
The UN base is nice. As in Yambio, the remnants of old Britsh buildings established during Britsh-Egyptian rule between 1899 and 1956 can be found everywhere. Here in Maridi, several of them are located within the UN Base. Leftovers from when Sudan gained it's independence and before the first Sudanese Civil war. We use these old buildings for our generators, vehicles, and general storage of other equipment.

Some of the differences between Maridi and Yambio are the food. When I first arrived, there were people on the side of the road covering large mounds of dirt with with a tent like structure made of twigs and blankets. I asked what they were doing and through gestures and broken english they told me they were collecting bugs to eat. They are kind of like termites. They also make a dough out of kasava and fry it. It kind of tastes like polenta fries. Other than that the food at the market is the quite similar to that of Yambio.

The level of violent crimes here is very low. The most substantial crime is adultery. There are tribal laws still in effect here as well despite the New Sudan Penal Code (NSPC). These are normally handled by the local chief of the Payam or district where the incident occured unless it is a serious matter such as a murder whereby it is then handed over to the SSPS to investigate. There was one case, however, that I recently reviewed whereby the complainant accused the suspect of having sex with his daughter without paying a dowry...let's just say that the investigation is ongoing. The SSPS here are quite friendly. It has not been the first time that a local grabs my hand while we walk together, but the other day at the Maridi Police Station, I held the Duty Officer's hand for about 10 minutes while he gave me a tour of the place. There are alot more weapons here which may be directly associated the the low level of crime being committed. Several of the locals here can be seen carrying around AK 47's. They are ex-solidiers that have hung onto their weapons and now use them for personal protection.

I have been trying to absorb as much of Maridi as I can and was able to go on a Medium Range Patrol here to a small villaged named Kuanga. We met with the local boma Chief, Daniel MORJAN, who advised us that there were no serious crimes being committed in his area and that there were no threats to security. His only complaint was that they had no bore hole for water and had to drink from the stream and also that the Primary School was under mango tree and that when it rained, school had to be cancelled. I went to the school and there it was under a mango tree with a sign nailed to it with "Kuanga Community School" written on it.

I was able to find another run route. I don't know if they have every seen anyone running for no other purpose than exercise here. On my first run I had some children pointing and laughing yelling "Bangaladeshi Bangaladeshi!!!!". As is the case in Yambio, all of the children think that anyone that looks different is from Bangladesh. It is quite amusing. On the way back from my run I was stopped by an SPLA soldier and another man in civilian clothes. They asked me what I was running from. I tried my best to explain that I was just getting some exercise. I think they understood.

We have a Sri Lankan, two Egyptians, a Nigerian, a Pakistani, a Kenyan, and an El Salvadorean working here. As far as work goes, it is painfully quiet and is comparable to Yambio when we first arrived. The UNPOLS are very friendly, however, I am having some issues with the one fellow that I had to report on when he was in Yambio which ended up in him being re-deployed to Maridi. I am no longer a Team Site Leader and don't really have any control over him or the kind of work that is done here so I have been left to follow the status quo...for now. It is truly painful and the end of my mission would have seemed like another year if this is what it was going to be like, but I have to assume it is somewhat the same everywhere.

After two days of being in Maridi, I received word from the Acting Sector Commander for Sector 1 that I was re-deployed to the Torit Team Site. Torit is located in the Eastern Equatorial State with Uganda sitting to the south and Kenya to the southeast. There are reasons for my re-deployment that I will not speak of now, but I am sure you can put the puzzle pieces together. So, I will start travelling to Torit on November 7th and arrive on the 10th. I am looking forward to it as it is in a different southern state and I hear there is a little more action there. I will find out what that means when I get on the ground.

I have some photos of Maridi, but they will have to come later as I have already sent my equipment including my laptop to Torit and am not able to upload photos here.

Cheers for now,

Rory

(Photos from top to bottom: 1) Last day in Yambio, 2)Welcome to Maridi Team Site, 3)One of the old British buildings at the Maridi Team Site, 4) Me with the Kuanga Chief to my right, his assembly, fellow Egyptian and Phillipino UNPOL officers, and an SSPS officer, 5) The Kuanga Community School, 6) A female SSPS officer on security detail, 7) A couple of locals collecting bugs for food, 8)Tamia – a local dish made from kasava root flour, 9) A local woman with her baby)