Wadis, roads, checkpoints, and parties...
Darfur is a patch work of controlled areas by various armed groups. Within a 30
klm area one could pass through villages and checkpoints controlled by the Government of Sudan (GOS), the SLA (one of the many rebel groups), the Janjaweed, or roaming nomads who have turned into bandit/opportunists during the ongoing conflict. The borders of each stronghold shift like sand blowing in the vast desert and attacks often happen without warning or purpose. This can often make travel a rather precarious situation at best.
As the clock strikes 6pm on Thursday evening and all of us ex-pats flood out of the doors of the weekly security meeting we are all looking forward to the weekend (Fri/Sat here is Sudan) and the upcoming party that ICRC is throwing. Our work day is done and we can finally relax...that is until Sarah gets a call on the radio that our Water and Sanitations team has gotten stuck in a Wadi (river beds that get swollen with water during the rainy season). Normally this would be no problem; this happens all the time to everyone and our trucks are designed to handle it. The problem being that no one is supposed to travel through check points after 6pm and NO ONE should be on the road outside of Nyala after dark! Our truck is conveniently located between the last SLA checkpoint and before the first GOS checkpoint in an area that sees random Janjaweed activity. With no other options, we send two more trucks out to get them unstuck hoping that we can race night fall and get everyone back in time...this plan could work...that is until the rescue truck also gets stuck in the wadi, and when I mean stuck I mean then entire 10ft high truck is submerged under water!
Again our trucks are designed to handle this, but the delay has cost us the last few precious minutes of sun light putting our staff in a dangerous situation. The options being heading back into SLA territory where a bunch of high teenagers are standing guard with guns, staying in the middle of no-mans-land with no proper supplies, or trying to make it into GOS territory at night coming from SLA territory...none of these are good options. We opt for the latter figuring that Sarah, Aaron, and I can head out to the GOS checkpoint and let them know our team is coming.
Unfortunately the normal way to the checkpoint it blocked by a flooded Wadi and out attempt to find another way in the dark gets us very lost in our race against time. Finally the car is stopped and I jump out to convince two local Sudanese to get in the car with us and take us to the check point (Only in Africa would this even be an option). The two wonderful men direct us, as Aaron uses his broken Arabic to explain what’s going on. The flood plains where the checkpoint is located are a vast array of confusion and darkness and before we know what is going on we are being yelled at in Arabic to stop the car as several AK-47 are being pointed at our vehicle...aahh we have found the checkpoint! After making "introductions" and sharing some cigarettes, Aaron (bless his 5 months in Egypt) explains what has happened and Sarah is able to secure passage of our vehicles as long as they come with their hazards on so the guards don't shoot them. The team finally gets back around 10pm, soaked from the neck down after wadding through the wadi, but otherwise unhurt and in remarkably good spirits.
We even have enough time left to make it to the party where a few quick drinks of the local "underground" alcohol (its made from dates, but taste more like gasoline) calms the nerves a bit and gets my dancing feet going for a few rounds of Salsa. This is life here, brief attempts at normalcy in an otherwise chaotic land.
Peace
klm area one could pass through villages and checkpoints controlled by the Government of Sudan (GOS), the SLA (one of the many rebel groups), the Janjaweed, or roaming nomads who have turned into bandit/opportunists during the ongoing conflict. The borders of each stronghold shift like sand blowing in the vast desert and attacks often happen without warning or purpose. This can often make travel a rather precarious situation at best.
As the clock strikes 6pm on Thursday evening and all of us ex-pats flood out of the doors of the weekly security meeting we are all looking forward to the weekend (Fri/Sat here is Sudan) and the upcoming party that ICRC is throwing. Our work day is done and we can finally relax...that is until Sarah gets a call on the radio that our Water and Sanitations team has gotten stuck in a Wadi (river beds that get swollen with water during the rainy season). Normally this would be no problem; this happens all the time to everyone and our trucks are designed to handle it. The problem being that no one is supposed to travel through check points after 6pm and NO ONE should be on the road outside of Nyala after dark! Our truck is conveniently located between the last SLA checkpoint and before the first GOS checkpoint in an area that sees random Janjaweed activity. With no other options, we send two more trucks out to get them unstuck hoping that we can race night fall and get everyone back in time...this plan could work...that is until the rescue truck also gets stuck in the wadi, and when I mean stuck I mean then entire 10ft high truck is submerged under water!
Again our trucks are designed to handle this, but the delay has cost us the last few precious minutes of sun light putting our staff in a dangerous situation. The options being heading back into SLA territory where a bunch of high teenagers are standing guard with guns, staying in the middle of no-mans-land with no proper supplies, or trying to make it into GOS territory at night coming from SLA territory...none of these are good options. We opt for the latter figuring that Sarah, Aaron, and I can head out to the GOS checkpoint and let them know our team is coming.
Unfortunately the normal way to the checkpoint it blocked by a flooded Wadi and out attempt to find another way in the dark gets us very lost in our race against time. Finally the car is stopped and I jump out to convince two local Sudanese to get in the car with us and take us to the check point (Only in Africa would this even be an option). The two wonderful men direct us, as Aaron uses his broken Arabic to explain what’s going on. The flood plains where the checkpoint is located are a vast array of confusion and darkness and before we know what is going on we are being yelled at in Arabic to stop the car as several AK-47 are being pointed at our vehicle...aahh we have found the checkpoint! After making "introductions" and sharing some cigarettes, Aaron (bless his 5 months in Egypt) explains what has happened and Sarah is able to secure passage of our vehicles as long as they come with their hazards on so the guards don't shoot them. The team finally gets back around 10pm, soaked from the neck down after wadding through the wadi, but otherwise unhurt and in remarkably good spirits.
We even have enough time left to make it to the party where a few quick drinks of the local "underground" alcohol (its made from dates, but taste more like gasoline) calms the nerves a bit and gets my dancing feet going for a few rounds of Salsa. This is life here, brief attempts at normalcy in an otherwise chaotic land.
Peace
posted by Scott at 4:17 AM
3 Comments:
Awesome. I miss the adventures with you. Take care.
Watson
The adventures never end...always glad to hear that they turn out okay for you my friend. I am the delinquent friend who failed to send you happy birthday greetings anytime close to your actual birthday...I could make the excuse that I am in Wisconsin right now without internet access...but that sounds pretty lame when you are posting regularly from Sudan. So Happy Birthday a little late :)
Sarah
remind me when the primere of your epic movie is?
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