Kuwaiti Kismit: Juba's 5-Star Hotel, Port, and

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000666

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON SOCI PREL KU QA SU
SUBJECT: Kuwaiti Kismit: Juba's 5-Star Hotel, Port, and
Fisheries Projects Touted


1. SUMMARY: A 5-star destination resort rises from the
dusty streets of Juba. A modern port handles 15,000 tons
of cargo a month while the tourists at the neighboring
harbor enjoy a bite to eat and some shopping before
taking a pleasure cruise on the Nile. This is the future
of Juba, according to Kuwaiti development company Al-
Masoud, which formed the Sudanese Kuwaiti Company
(SUKAIT) and is investing over USD 120 million to make
this a reality. Kuwait has long enjoyed strong relations
with the south, and at a cornerstone-laying ceremony on
March 11, presided over by Bahr al-Jabal Governor Clement
Wani Konga, Kuwait showed its continuing commitment to
Southern Sudan. A fisheries project in Terekaka, north
of Juba, is also part of the development plans. The
target for completion is the end of 2007 (Comment: It
would be impressive, however, if the foundations were
laid by 2007. End Comment.) End Summary.

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A Hotel Unlike Any Other
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2. At an event attended by both Kuwait's and Qatar's
ambassadors to Sudan, the Kuwait-based Al-Masoud
development company unveiled a large model and beautiful
drawings that depicted a 5-star destination resort in the
heart of "downtown" Juba. To be built on the site of the
1920's-era Juba Hotel, still in use but in virtual ruins,
the new hotel will feature landscaped grounds, two
swimming pools, an artificial lake, 400 rooms, 30 luxury
suites, and 30 bungalows. Built in the Kenyan safari-
style, the most distinctive architectural features are 10
towering, Olympic-flame type torches ringing the complex.
The state government said it was in talks with Hilton to
run the resort.

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Major Port and Harbor
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3. The port will have a capacity of 15,000 tons per
month and be able to store over 500 containers. The
facilities will also feature warehouses, climate-
controlled storage, a fuel dock and liquid storage
containers, and a dry dock repair facility for barges.
Next to the port will be a tourist harbor facility with
shops, restaurants, and amenities for both pleasure
cruises and passenger trips to destinations like Bor,
Malakal, and Kosti. The total cost for the complex will
be around USD $40 million. The port drawings and a model
-- which featured little motorized cranes loading and
unloading tiny containers -- showed a thoroughly modern
facility built in a curvy, Miami art-deco style. Kuwait-
based Al-Hamadah will provide logistical support for the
port.

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All This and Fish, Too
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4. The third, and least ambitious, project was a fish
processing, canning, and storage facility at Terekaka, a
small village halfway between Juba and Bor on the Nile.
There were no models or drawings, however, showing the
Terekaka fish plant. Incidentally, Terekaka is the
hometown of Clement Wani Konga, Governor of Bahr al-Jabal
state.

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Kuwait and Southern Sudan: Old Friends
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5. Kuwait has a long history of cooperation with
Southern Sudan. When a southern government was
established in 1972, Kuwait was the first country to set
up a consulate in Juba. Throughout the 70s, Kuwait was
involved in a variety of development projects, including
a housing development in Juba now know as Hi-Kuwait.
When Kuwait was invaded in 1991, Sudan was one of the few
countries to side with Iraq. At the same time, John
Garang and the SPLM donated money for relief during the
war and offered to send laborers to help with
reconstruction. The government in Khartoum was able to
prevent Southern Sudanese workers from going to Kuwait,
but the ties of friendship continued. At the ceremony,
the son of Muath Al-Fuhaid, Chairman of SUKAIT, also
donated USD 50,000 to the children of Southern Sudan.

HUME