The Good, The Bad and The Ugly in South Sudan

This post was sent to me by a friend currently working in South Sudan.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: A Sentimental Look at Southern Sudan from 2005 – Present

Some days ago I had lunch with someone who recently arrived in Juba and the new arrival asked me how I thought things had changed over the last few years. I thought about it a little and found myself answering, "Well, it has changed and it hasn't; it's both better and worse."

In order to expand on this somewhat Confucian and admittedly pretentious statement, I present for your reading pleasure, a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) a la moi, of Southern Sudan:

Things that are better: (STRENGTHS):

1. There are a lot more restaurants

2. There are lots of vegetables in the market

3. Internet is a little better

4. Air-conditioning has arrived in Southern Sudan en force

Things that are worse: (WEAKNESSES)

1. The aid effect has made people self interested and mercenary more than ever

2. The aid community has grown greatly but not any positive effects

3. Southern Sudan now has regular revenue from oil and the Government and a motley cast of various contractors have consumed most of it

4. The morale of people is close to zero

5. The political situation is deteriorating and Sudan seems to be edging ever closer to civil war

Things that have changed: (THREATS)

1. Government staff now have functional offices, computers and internet and 3 or 4 houses in Monaco each

2. Time moves much faster and people have become 'busy’. So what with traffic jams (can you imagine?) and hectic schedules, random visits by friends have greatly decreased

3. Sign in books have also arrived in NGOs en-force, which means that when you go to international organisations you now have to hand in your ID and sign in with a guard at the gate. If you are a khawaja (or foreigner) though, often you can get away without giving in the ID. I once asked a guard how effective a security measure it is and she rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders, telling me “It’s an administrative decision”

4. The situation of the average expat is much better. (Sushi anyone? Or perhaps gin and tonics on the Nile? Errr what Jeeves, no running water or healthcare for the masses, but sushi and G&T’s for expats?)

Things that haven't changed: (sadly also THREATS)

1. The rubbish seems to be the only permanent feature in the landscape of Juba

2. The roads are still a combination of mud, bumps and holes with minute amounts of tarmac in between (personally I prefer mud than intermittent tarmac)

3. Millions of dollars continue to be wasted by the aid community and the government

4. The situation of the average Sudanese person is much the same (unemployed and disenfranchised)

And last of all OPPORTUNITIES (yes, hard to believe)

Last night I sat under the stars with the guard, an electric mosquito-killing tennis racquet by our side (ask the Chinese about that one) talking till late in the night.

We talked about the government who had completely messed up this opportunity which had been fought for over the last 5 decades; their failure to provide anything for the people of Southern Sudan and their continuing nepotism and corruption which was killing the morale of the people.

We discussed the coming elections in 2010, which in his opinion (like many) are a waste of time. In his view the plethora of political parties in the South are only bids for power, and would divide people further creating more violence along tribal lines.

He felt the referendum in 2011 (to determine whether South Sudan secedes) was going to be a failure and all the time he spent in the bush fighting was for nothing. He predicted a war in the South between the tribes if the referendum was ‘successful’ (i.e. the South gains independence). He said that this coming violence will kill many, many people and that only those who survive will have learned the lessons needed to lead the country successfully.

Finally we discussed democracy and the participation of the people which was necessary. He said that what is needed here is only two things: love for one other and unity and that if people could come together everything would be ok. Such wisdom should be listened to and people like him are the main ‘opportunity’ for Southern Sudan, if only their voices could be heard.

[Photo of Juba from Sudanese Returnee]