Miss Malaika Southern Sudan

Miss Malaika Southern Sudan

Somewhat of a whirlwind decision coming to Southern Sudan. Two days ago, I had applied for my Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) travel permit, a visa that lets you within Sudan’s borders, but without jumping through the hoops of the Khartoum bureaucracy.

As soon as the visa was in my hands, I had bought the next flight out of Nairobi bound for Juba, the capital of this semi-autonomous state, and ready for the final days of voter registration in the upcoming independence referendum.

Arriving in Juba, I was soon on the back of a boda-boda, the notion of the motorcycle taxi imported—like much else in the region—from Uganda.

My arrival coincided with the final of Miss Malaika Southern Sudan, a sort-of beauty pageant comprising girls from each of the ten states walking a cat-walk, donning outfits ranging from Western evening wear to their traditional dress and customs.

A far cry from the Khartoum government as we enjoyed Kenyan beers—forbidden by the Sharia law of the north—under the eye of former rebel soldiers. Welcome to Southern Sudan.

Flying

EC1a

EC flight 1a, a small Cessna charted by the European Commission, as it flies over north-western Kenya.

The Kenyan aviation authorities will not allow any flights directly from Somalia to Kenya, having little trust in the security of the failed state’s airports.

So whilst a flight out to Hargeisa or Mogadishu can be fast, coming back is somewhat slower. First landing at Wajir, in the arid scrubland near the Somali border, everyone—and everything—must be brought off to be checked and scanned.

Then once again, the Cessna takes to the skies, bound for Jomo Kenyatta International.

Karibu Kenya.

Economics

Economics

Much of Somalia’s economy is based on livestock, and the camel trade still forms a big part of people’s lives here. Every week in Hargeisa, there is a large camel & livestock market that draws throngs of people.

Losing their land

Losing their land

Ahmed Isse and Abdi Youssef Hussein are farmers in Somaliland’s rural Gabiley region. Concern Worldwide came out to discuss with households here their needs, and to find out more about how these people live. Whilst walking around their land, staff were surprised at the techniques that these farmers used to maximise water use, and reduce erosion in their fragile soils. Traditional methods can be very effective.

But at the edge of their agricultural land, disaster is creeping closer. Fields of sorghum suddenly give way to a small canyon, as the land has collapsed due to soil erosion. Cracks are spreading closer to the fields, and farmers here fear that they will lose more of their land.

It is issues like this that Concern’s livelihood teams can help to prevent, and the reason for our visit today.

Somaliland

Somali(land)

Somaliland. Not really a country, but certainly not Somalia.

The self-governing state declared independence almost twenty years ago, they have their own, democratically elected government, but they are still awaiting international recognition.

Whilst many NGOs cannot operate in South Central Somalia, they aren’t shy about moving into Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital.

I’m here for a few days, documenting some of Concern Worldwide’s work here, as they open up a new office. They’ve been in Somalia proper for nearly 25 years, and are expanding northwards.