"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)