Rains in Karamoja, Uganda

I went on a weeks trip out to Karamoja and the weather was very changeable all the time. Sunshine and rain all over the place.

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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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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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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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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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