CG Juba Round-up April 24

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000979

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV SOCI EAID PREF SU
SUBJECT: CG Juba Round-up April 24



1. Ethnic Fighting in Western Equatoria: During a
routine patrol, 11 police officers returning to Yambio
were attacked by Dinka bandits about 30 kilometers west
of the town. UNMIS has located the bodies of two of the
officers, and it presumes the other 9 dead. Because the
police officers were all Zande, it is believed that the
attacks were ethnically motivated. The culprits have not
been caught.


2. Mundri Becoming Hub of Trade: The county of Mundri,
located roughly halfway between Rumbek and both Yei and
Juba, is becoming a hub of trade between Lakes State and
Uganda. Roads in the county are in good condition, with
most of the laterite surfacing intact. The county is
currently divided by the Yei River, whose only bridge was
destroyed in the war. The river can be forded by small
trucks in the dry season, but is impassable when the
water rises. This has blocked commercial road traffic
between Rumbek and Juba, although trade should increase
once the new bridge, currently under construction, is
completed. The roads are also relatively good on the
other side of the river and it is only about four hours
by road to Juba, just over 100 km away.


3. Ikotos Slowly Recovering from Long War: Located at
the base of an 8,000 ft peak near the Ugandan border, the
small village of Ikotos is beginning to recover from the
wars and insecurity that have plagued it for decades.
During the civil war, the town was known to host many
internally displaced persons (IDPs) who sought refuge in
the mountains from the frequent fighting around Torit,
located just to the north. These border mountains also
served as a major sanctuary for Uganda's Lord's
Resistance Army (LRA),which frequently raided the area.
According to Celesio Ohisa, the County Commissioner for
Ikotos, the situation is stabilizing as most of the IDPs
have returned home and the LRA is no longer operating in
the area. Within the town, a bustling new market has
recently sprung up and villagers who moved onto the
mountainside for protection are beginning to rebuild
their homes on the plains, closer to their fields. The
town lacks appropriate health care, educational
facilities, and basic sanitation, and sick or injured
residents must be driven over bumpy roads for several
hours to reach the nearest hospital.


5. USAID Branding: While touring several State
Department-funded refugee projects in remote corners of
the South (septel),CG Juba officials have noticed that
the USAID name and logo is prevalent in even the remotest
parts of Southern Sudan. From AIDS prevention t-shirts
with the USAID logo -- worn by many villagers and every
participant in a regional health committee meeting in
Tambura -- to a sign at the entrance of a renovated
girl's school in Lui, there is ample evidence of the
assistance given to Southern Sudan "from the American
people."

STEINFELD