Arrival!

A brief addition to say that I have arrived safe in Mundri after an overnight stay in Juba and drive back into Western Equatoria, via a couple of field centres providing health and agricultural development services AND to acknowledge the initial referendum result of 99.57% FOR Secession. Once the Sudanese government in Khartoum has also verifed this (within a fortnight) then Independence is fully official. An auspicous occasion to arrive in what will be the world's 193rd country.



I met a senior GOSS (Government of Southern Sudan) lawyer last night and talked constitutional accountability and nation building over wonderful fresh fish and tea as well as reconnecting with my friend Light. I stayed at one of the blocky two storey hotels that have sprung up predominantly to serve NGO workers. It is situated on the banks of the Nile so I was priveleged to take in the wonder of the river early this morning. I met the chairman of MRDA in Juba and the team I will be placed with (formerly Civic Education and now becoming Peace and Democracy Studies)for introductory chats, now I am on my way to the guest house that will be my home for the immediate future.



The lack of infrastructure and underdevelopment that caused so much resentment in the South is immediately apparent from the airport on and the roads outside Juba are in some places barely functional. Juba by night is a very very dark place but there are shops of all persuasions and some bars lining the roadside for miles. Also the sheer scale of the country is striking. So much of the land is unpopulated and the expression 'off the beaten track' has taken on a new resonance for me. Mundri and the surrounding area is more lush in terms of vegetation and milder in Climate than Juba and there are rivers cutting across the bush at occasional intervals.

I'm off to enjoy the evening.Salam!