I knew when I planned my trip to Sudan that would have to add on a trip to South Sudan. How could I miss a chance to visit the world’s youngest country? So I added a brief trip to Juba after I left Khartoum.
A Bit of Background
South Sudan was a part of Sudan (then the largest country in Africa) until 9 July 2011 when it became an independent nation and the 54th country in Africa. Those sorts of shifts seldom happen peacefully, and South Sudan is no exception. In the end, there was a referendum to secede, but that was after decades of fighting for independence. Between the mid 1950s and 2005, the region that became South Sudan went through two civil wars and the unrest continued. The result was that there was no real infrastructure in the area of South Sudan and when it became its own country that was still the case, with factions on many of its provinces fighting each other. (As I always say when I try to sum up historical or political events, this is Wandering North, not Poli Sci North, so if you want a proper account of South Sudanese independence and politics, look elsewhere.)
South Sudan is not known for a lot of things, but what it is known for often is poverty. It is always on the UN list of least developed countries. Today South Sudan does get a share of the money from the oil reserves located in its borders, but it is Sudan that gets the bulk of it. There is not much else in terms of industry or resources. Most people live in rural areas and on less than a dollar a day.
Life in South Sudan is hard. It has the lowest rate of literacy in the world. It has poor access to health services, nutritious food, clean water, etc. The life expectancy is about 55 years, making me a senior citizen.
The other thing South Sudan is known for is violence. Canada advises not to go there under any circumstances due to risks of violence and armed conflict. It is regularly on lists of the ‘most dangerous countries’. But that sort of thing has never stopped me. So I booked my ticket and applied for my visa.
Getting In
I did need a visa to go to South Sudan but, remarkably, they have an e-visa system. You do the paperwork and apply and pay online and get your stamp at the border. It is very expensive, but not difficult. (As least for me. I’m Canadian. Other passports may have different experiences.)
I flew from Khartoum to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, on a direct flight. The border was not a big deal. A bit intimidating, but no hassles.
Due to the lack of infrastructure in South Sudan, there is no public transport to the airport, so I arranged to have my hotel pick me up, and it was comforting to see my name “Mr. North” on a sign at arrivals. I got into a nice SUV and was driven, like a dignitary, to my accommodations: the Acacia Village.
Accommodations
South Sudan is poor, but it is not inexpensive to visit. There are lots of hotels and drivers and some restaurants that cater towards people working for aid organizations and NGOs, like the UN. But there is no budget traveller level of services. Of the available accommodations that looked remotely appealing (there are no hostels or cute backpacker spots), Acacia Village was by far the nicest. It is a lovely spot, just a bit outside of Juba’s city centre, filled with trees and cabins surrounding a pool, and an outdoor bar/restaurant. The perfect place to spend time in charming comfort. Visually, it met all my needs. It was just as pretty as the pictures. I loved my cabin, taking a morning dip in the pool, and having evening cigars in the courtyard. But it wasn’t cheap, and it lacked the normal services I thought they should have provided (like daily housekeeping or being able to tell me where to change money). I found that a little annoying. On my first day I was entirely without cash because they couldn’t (or wouldn’t) tell me where I could exchange some bills. Nevertheless, it was lovely, and I would stay there again.
Wandering Solo in Juba
Day one I had no plans except to see what I could see of Juba on my own. The challenges here were that walking along in Juba is strongly advised against due to it being unsafe, and I had no local money, and was not about to walk around and ask people where I could change my cash. (Why not just wear a “rob me” t-shirt?) But I did go out and walk around.
I left the Acacia Village compound. Two sets of gates with armed guards and high walls with razor wire were all that separated me from the outside world. I was a little intimidated by that, but once I was outside, it felt…fine. I am not saying it was safe and I was certainly on guard, but during the day, I felt safe.
I attracted a lot of attention as I strolled around, ghostly white and dressed in black. Tattoos peeking out. I was a curiosity. But people were nice. Lots of people said hello and asked me how I was. A reasonable mix of smiles and stares. I can’t blame the people who just stared. I may have actually been an idiot for walking around on my own.
I think the reason it is considered unsafe on the streets is just that people are so poor. And there is a real problem with men getting very drunk on dangerous homemade alcohol and going kind of nuts. Could I even blame someone for wanting to rob me, when they have nothing? Not really, but I didn’t want to take that chance, so I took nothing with me but my cell phone, some cigarillos, and a lighter.
Juba is not an attractive city. Unlike most capitals, it does not have centuries of being a capital city. It is brand new and wasn’t much of city to begin with. There are no museums, galleries, or stately capital buildings, or picturesque anything. Just streets and low rise, quickly constructed buildings. Aside from the few hotels catering to ex-pats, there is really nothing nice or new about it. But it has an energy. The streets were busy; lots of people out playing soccer, riding and washing motorcycles, modest shops, and houses.
The thing that really stood out was how young everyone was. The average age in South Sudan ins 18.6 years (and the median age is 16.7 years). Tons of young-looking men were everywhere. And they looked pretty cool. Especially the ones that were very into their motorbikes. Unlike in Sudan, in South Sudan most people are Christian or followers of animist religions, so gone were the modest robes and head scarves; most people here were dressed in a more western style. Skinny jeans and t-shirt was a common outfit for the young guys in Juba.
I wish I had more or better pictures, but photography is not allowed. There are, I would find out the next day, some places where it is unofficially allowed, but I didn’t know that on day one, so I just snapped a few quick pictures as i strolled.
And that is basically all I did on day one. I just got a feel for the place and got over the nervousness of wandering solo.
I spent the evening, as planned, at the Acacia Village, with a couple of cigars and dinner.
The next day I had arranged for a driver to allow me to see a little more than I could on my own, which would include the proper ‘sights’ of Juba.
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