Rainy season is back in Jonglei

The heavy clouds closing in just after sun had set on the horizon with some nice reflections over our compound.

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Coffee-shop in Pajut

I was on a road assessment last week and the final place to reach was Pajut. After 4 days on the road getting stuck here and there in the mud we found the passable roads we needed. So we stopped for a nice cup of coffee before heading back to Bor.

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In between the clouds in the PAC750 heading to Bor from Juba. This during the rainy season. the Pilots trying to dodge the turbulent areas flying around the clouds that covered the area ahead.

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Jonlei - Cattle - Roads and Floods

While Jonglei is now in the dry-season since almost 2 months half the state has not been accessible even up to now. The above picture shows the reality in many places. The soil is dry with cracks all over but then flooded areas are seen.  In this particular spot a river was passing. However a road was built in the previous dryseason without any culverts to lead the water away. Effectively causing major flooding for villages along a 50 km stretch. Most have now dried up but pools like these with the soild present means no vehicles can pass. We managed to cross twice but after that the road was again too soft in the mud. The picture shows a typical day in jonglei with cattle being moved to the wetlands 150 km away. People, cattle, goats and cars trying to pass in the mud.

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Canal Boat in Bor

It is "pushers" like the above that is used for moving the barges from Kosti to among other places Bor. They are the ones maintaining the supply line of material from the north as well as used for the current repatriation of South sudanese from the north.

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Tin sheds and Tarpaulin shelters

Bor is a town expanding rapidly at present. There are brick houses being built, even two to three story buildings. The roads are being overhauled completely and we expect to see tarmac for the first time in history of the Jonglei State. Just behind the road expansion I pass this area every day. The returnee wave has started for the referendum, some will settle in Bor, some will move to the rural areas. Meanwhile I keep seeing people living in their mix of Tin sheds, Tarpaulin shelters mixed in with their traditional Tokuls. A small vegetable garden next to the dike that has been built. The dike filled with water hyacints.

Looking at the buildings its quite interesting. The tokul is round have thatched roof and is quite coll due to the construction. Then because of Tin roofs the next mud house is square. The tin house is square as it suits the tin better overall. Finally there is a shelter with tarpaulins. The Tarpaulin shelter will later become mudded also.
Out of all of them it is still though the Tokul that is the most comfortable simply because it is cooler.

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Tokuls burned, Kaikuny October 2010

One of the Tokuls burned in Kaikuny village October 2010. A people with very few possessions ending up with even fewer.

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Dragonfly up close

Was out testing macro photography today. I was lucky as this dragonfly was actually sitting still and both the pictures are taken without a tripod.  The lens used is my 24 - 104 mm Canon EF L. I used manual focus.
The dragonfly was sitting on my chili plant just outside my door. I see them all the time but never really paid attention but seems I need to look even closer around here.

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Kids negotiating with the women for the sale of fish from the White Nile just outside Bor town, Jonglei State. The kids using a traditional tree-trunk canoe for the trips out on the river.

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Brick walls and Razorwire

The view from my guesthouse in Bor at night. South Sudan is preparing for a Referendum and there might be instability and clashes. The fence is though also good to keep the lions and jeopards out. We found paw prints a few weeks back...

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Some people take the bus to work, we take the plane

The PAC-750XL is the plane that most Humanitarian agencies fly in to get to the remote locations in Jonglei State. It is the rainy season in South Sudan at the moment and this becomes the lifeline for most humanitarian workers as the state has no roads except during the dry season. Well there is 50km of roads which theoretically is supposed to be all season roads... The dry season most of the time is only 4 months long. As most runways are grass clearings we rarely see any other planes than the above PAC 750 or the Cessna Caravan. Rainy season in Jonglei does not mean it rains every day nor full days however even a rain of 2 hours can make some of the airstrips unusable for a week. Thus these planes are a welcome sight when they do arrive and can land. Jonglei State is about the size of Denmark

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Murle Woman with traditional beads

Young Murle woman in Lekuongole, dressed with the traditional bead decorations they use.

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White Nile flowing in Jonglei State

Flying along the White Nile on the way to Bor from Juba is quite interesting. While the passable part of the Nile can be quite narrow, the river actually span quite some area. Bor is just about at the start of the Sudd thus there are islands, some permanent others that dissapear with the yearly rain. In addition there is many "lakes" forming in the inaccessible areas while the river expands and contracts. Its quite interesting to note that of all the water coming from Lake Victoria 90% will dissapear into the Sudd in North Jonglei.

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White Nile flowing through Juba

For once the landing in Juba was coming in over the White Nile. Normally the landings are in the other direction making it difficult to get good pictures of the river.

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Turquoise sunset

Sunset in Bor tonight. This is a pseudo-HDR with 5 photos processed to get the correct turquoise color that was in the clouds. 

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The bittersweet tears of a mother.

Today we went on a mission to Lekuongole. The main mission objective was to deliver 3 mothers and 2 children back to Lekuongole. 3 years ago they had all been kidnapped among the seemingly endless cattleraids that take place in Jonglei state. For 3 years the women had been living a different life in the hands of the Nuer community in Akobo. The women had been integrated within the new community and had accepted their fate, atleast as seen from the Akobo side. Through the different missions and visits by a number of people the women had been spotted. The Murle has small scars in the shape of dots in a pattern around the face as is the tradition of the Murle tribe. In the end the 3 women together with 2 children ran away to the SPLA and/or County commissioners office.They where sheltered and given food and other necessities while preparation was made to airlift them home. At the time the airlift took place there was too much insecurity in Lekuongole and other areas so the women had to stay in Bor for another month. Again living in a shelter while being cared for.
Today was the day when they finally could go home and we all flew the one hour flight to Lekuongole. All being anxious as to how it will be on the other side. Once there, we exited the helicopter while people surrounded the helicopter.

We moved away a bit and then the women came out and was greeted by their friends and families. One of the women was immediately hugged strongly by a boy who was around 10 years old. They walked towards the village center still hugging. After a few more steps the woman fell down on the ground and the son hugged her even more. He was trying to sit in her lap as he had done 3 years ago before she disappeared. 3 Long years, especially for a child that age. The boy was now much taller than before and could barely fit but he tried his best to sit in her lap and cuddle up as if he was trying to become one with his mother. Just the way he could remember he did the day she disappeared.

They hugged each other for a long time. A mother, finally re-united with her son and family. The mother was shedding bittersweet tears though, happy to be with her family but also realizing that while escaping she had left 2 more of her kids behind. Thus 2 more kids that will be longing for her hugs for a long time especially in the timeframe of children. The sad reality of the abductions that take place during the cattleraids in Jonglei state, South Sudan.

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Floods all over Bor

This is the road 1 km from our office. As can be seen the black cotton soil is saturated with water and with no drainage anywhere the road wont dry up for another 2 months or so. Assuming no more rain , that is...

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Bor town is flooded

It is the rainy seadon in Bor, Jonglei, South Sudan and we have had some heavy down pours the last 2 weeks. Up until then Bor town had been for the most part spared from massive rains. Not so anymore. Now the water in most of town is just a few centimeters below the roads. any more heavy rain and we wont be able to move anywhere in town. Mind you we are cut of from the rest of the state already. Jonglei is the size of Denmark and most of it is now submerged.

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Who needs a truck to move a house when a donkey can do the work

The construction of the main road from the airstrip to town has begun in Bor. Some of the shops where on the road reserve and is now either demolished or is being moved completely.

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Putting up a mast

Colleagues putting up a mast at our new office site. The photo is taken with my Canon 5D Mark II with a 15-35mm Lens. I really enjoy the full frame sensor and the wide angle lens.

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