Shit hitting fans, left right and centre. TIR*

* This Is Rumbek.

This place really is starting to implode on itself. Where should I start. Hmmm, ok, how about ...

THERE IS NO FUEL.

We are waiting for a long-anticipated fuel shortage to become reality. Monday (two days away) is the prediction. We have already been rationing our fuel use across our operations and in the compound (ie reduced generator operating hours). The whole country is suffering the same fate. There is apparently very little fuel even in Juba. I have heard people filling jerry cans in Uganda and transporting them by car over the border to sell in Juba. The road conditions don't help things either (and if you read one of my earlier posts, you'll understand why): not only is there no fuel in country, but it just can't get here. It all comes by road, and the roads are currently either sticky mud, or under water. This has been a looming problem for months, easily anticipated, yet nothing has been done at a national level to solve it. We will basically have to shut down if there is no fuel. We can't do our work in Rumbek North if we can't even get there.

SHOOTING.

This time of year is when all the Dinka cattle keepers stay and keep their cows close to town because there is enough green feed around and they don't need to move them far to find it. The cows are fat and happy, and so are the people. There are a lot of celebrations going on in town, involving large crowds of Dinka gathered together for cultural activities, mostly dancing. Unfortunately, these crowds are very volatile, and it doesn't take much more than a snap of the fingers for some sort of fighting to break out. Even more unfortunately, and despite a Governor-declared 'successful disarmament of Lakes State', most of these people have guns, and aren't afraid to use them.

Over the last few weeks we have heard numerous gun shots, both during the day and in the evening. A few days ago, somewhere behind our compound, apparently near Mabor Ngap Primary School, a cultural gathering turned into chaos when someone from Cuiebet was beaten (stabbed, shot - depending on the source) for impregnating a woman from Rumbek North. This man subsequently fled and the woman's family/community was unable to find him to beat/stab/shoot him. Apparently they found him at this particular gathering and took the opportunity to get revenge. Police showed up and fired into the air to disperse the crowd.

Nearby Safari Style last week, shots were fired after fighting broke out at a large cultural gathering. Apparently drunk people seeking a lift from a passing vehicle tried to hijack it when the drivers refused, and then got their guns out. Some stories suggest the car belonged to the County Commissioner and his bodyguards subsequently returned fire. People here, particularly the cattle keepers (or so it seems), are so volatile in nature.

But it's not just the cattle keepers. A few months ago, a drunk policeman shot and killed a Ugandan trader in the market when he refused to give the officer something free (the policeman wouldn't pay for his goods). The officer swaggered off down the road in his bloodied uniform and were soon easily identified and arrested.

THE GOVERNMENT HAS NO MONEY...

The current economic situation in South Sudan is also not helping the situation. The government shot itself in the foot by shutting down the oil fields and the supply to the pipelines due to the conflict with the North. But this meant that 98% of their GDP was lost, and now every day South Sudanese are suffering due to the subsequent austerity measures. Not paying your civil servants, reducing their salaries or cutting their normal benefits (such as housing allowances) have become the norm.

... SO IT CAN'T PAY ITS' CIVIL SERVANTS.

Teachers, Wildlife Officers and Police are three groups that come immediately to mind. Many of them have not been paid in months. The problem with these last two groups is that THEY HAVE GUNS. A few weeks ago, two incidents highlighted how serious this problem has become. On pay day, when Wildlife Officers were in town to receive their salaries and benefits, they discovered that their salaries had been cut. They subsequently beat a senior staff member to a pulp within the Ministry of Wildlife compound - which, incidentally, is right next to our compound.

The same day, police officers were also in town to collect their salaries. They arrived to find their benefits had been completely dissolved, and subsequently went on a shooting spree. People were shot and taken to hospital. The Police Commissioner was taken hostage and not released until the next day. Gun shots carried on into the evening. Understandably, we weren't allowed to go anywhere near town, and especially not near the police headquarters.

... BUSINESS IS REALLY SUFFERING


Due to the economic downturn, local businesses are really losing out. Inflation has hit them big time. It's difficult to get goods here due to the poor road condition. The rapdily devaluing price of the South Sudanese Pound against the US dollar also hasn't helped. This country has a currency that is not accepted anywhere outside, and the Government has declared that US dollars are not allowed to be used. Inflation is huge. The average South Sudanese person cannot buy food in the market; the prices of basic commodities have sky-rocketed.

Another downside of this is that our friends who are running businesses here in Rumbek are struggling to keep afloat. The non-paid civil servants no longer have drinking money, having not been paid for months, or having missed out on their benefits. The bars are empty. People are also not staying in these more expensive hotels. This has been the case for our two favourite hang-outs here in town. Safari Style only has two permanent guests - and one of them is the manager who doesn't pay to stay there - and very few.

The manager of Afex has recently had to downsize his staff due to a lack of profits. The first to go in this case were some of the security staff. He had been arguing with the security guards for a while about 'restructuring', and it has intensified over the past few days. Yesterday it took a turn for the worse.

... AND MORE SHOOTING.

This morning the security guards ambushed his office armed with their AKs. He was able barricade himself in his office with a chair and desk. Shots were fired and the guards told him they were going to kill him. The police (SSPS) at the airport came over when they heard the commotion and gun shots, were able to remove the manager from the situation, took him to the police station where he reported the incident, and then to UNMISS where he laid low before being evacuated from Rumbek by the UN air service this afternoon. His accountant was evacuated for his own safety as well.

His parting words: "Afex currently has no manager, no accountant, and is being run by the security guards." He suggested that we all steer clear of there for a while. Yep. Advice followed.

This is not the first instance of khawaja (foreigners) being evacuated after threats to their lives from local people angry at a loss of income (for various reasons, but mostly for losing their jobs). I personally know two others to whom this has happened, and who have not come back. My good buddie Ollie gets threats to her life on a regular basis. Staff of hers that have been sacked - for very good reason, such as not coming to work for weeks on end and then turning up demanding salaries - have returned to the compound with sticks, in an extremely irate and almost crazy state, in order to beat the accountant (and often Ollie herself).

There is just such a fighting mentality amongst people here. The crazy nepotism amongst people here also means that actually firing people is very difficult, regardless of whether they deserve it. Attempt it and the Ministry of Labor will be on your ass saying 'you didn't follow protocol' - not that they even have a proper one - not to mention the people who will turn up threatening to kill you.

If you don't maintain the right conditions to attract and keep businesses operating in your community, the economic situation just gets worse. It's really getting out of control, and I'm getting more and more concerned about my own and my colleagues' personal safety in this place.