FRANCESCA MOLD
As the United Nations plane heads towards the town of Renk, the pilot informs all those on board that he needs to do a quick flyover of the airstrip to ensure it is in good enough shape to accommodate a landing.
He expertly steers the aircraft down towards the ground so that he can do a low sweep along the runway checking for any potholes or subsidence.
Once the check is complete and he is satisfied it is safe, he veers back up into the skies doing a sharp turn to circle the area before lining up the runway again and touching down safely.
On board, is the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan, David Shearer. It is his first visit to the town in the far north of the country, close to the border with Sudan.
First stop is the local market where business is booming. There are plenty of goods for sale despite the trade corridor currently being closed between the two countries, meaning many products are likely to have been smuggled into South Sudan. The relative prosperity is attracting many people who fled during the five-year civil war to return from refugee camps just across the border.
People are pleased and curious to see the Head of UNMISS and his team touring through the market, buying peanuts and chili peppers from stallholders. They tell him that returnees are coming through the area every day and either settling back into their homes in the northern Upper Nile or travelling through to communities further south. They expect more to come when the border is officially reopened and when the height of the dry season hits in January.
“From what I’m hearing it’s been calm, very stable,” says David Shearer. “The population here is multi-ethnic and they’re living very much at peace. In many ways, it is a town that could be a model for the rest of South Sudan.”
Power is also flowing to the area from Sudan, the roads are well-sealed, and the town is much more built up than other parts of the country which have been devastated by the violent conflict that erupted five years ago.
However, local authorities say they desperately need investment in new infrastructure, including systems capable of taking water and power from the center of town to outlying areas. Healthcare and educational facilities are also limited.
“We need peace, education and hygiene services in Renk,” says the Northern Upper Nile Deputy Governor, Awer Dau Agany, after a meeting with the team from UNMISS and humanitarian partners.
He acknowledged that violence in the area had driven humanitarian workers away, including an incident in nearby Maban where hundreds of demonstrators invaded humanitarian compounds, torching vehicles and tukuls, beating workers and destroying offices and homes.
“The Government is taking action against the people that destroyed the place,” he says. “As a Government we will be the right hand of UNMISS to support it. We need all the humanitarians to support the people here to encourage development in Renk and the other South Sudan states.”
UNMISS has a base in Renk staffed by peacekeepers from India. They carry out patrols to provide a protective presence for the host community as well as returning refugees and meet regularly with local authorities and community leaders in an effort to build durable peace.
“If the peace process can work, and if it’s possible to be able to meet with the opposition groups here and create peace, then everything will flow from that,” says David Shearer.
Sustainable peace will also encourage further prosperity for a community that is tired of war and wants the chance to rebuild their country, so they have a future to look forward to.
Newer articles:
- With WHO support, South Sudan enhances meningitis preparedness and response - 29/11/2018 23:42
- South Sudan Facebook Auction a Sign Social Media Must Do More to Protect Girls' Rights - 29/11/2018 21:47
- South Sudan declares yellow fever outbreak near DRC border - 29/11/2018 13:17
- Influential Opportunities for South Sudan Diplomacy - 29/11/2018 13:16
- South Sudan denies allegations over breach of EU arms embargo - 29/11/2018 07:31
Older news items
- Uganda's double game in South Sudan civil war revealed - 29/11/2018 03:20
- Uganda funneled European weapons to South Sudan, breaching arms embargo: report - 28/11/2018 23:40
- To Aid South Sudan’s Cease-fire, Increase Transparency - 28/11/2018 23:29
- Sudan’s Army to be Decisive in Fight against Insurgents - 28/11/2018 23:01
- UN troops to help South Sudan refugees return home - 28/11/2018 22:46
Latest news items (all categories):
- Corruption Perceptions Index 2024, South Sudan slides to bottom overtaking Somalia - 11/02/2025 11:17
- Vacancy Announcements - UNICEF South Sudan (11/02/2025) - 11/02/2025 10:49
- President Salva Kiir sacks two vice presidents and others in a decree today (10/02/2025) - 10/02/2025 19:36
- South Sudan parties adjourn talks in Kenya - 10/02/2025 16:24
- South Sudan becomes 22nd African country to be affected by mpox - 10/02/2025 16:21
Random articles (all categories):
- South Sudan president fires foreign minister Ayii, gives no reason - 09/03/2023 05:29
- South Sudan urges UN to reconsider Gen Ondieki’s dismissal - 07/11/2016 05:07
- South Sudan faces collapse if peace pact fails again. This can be averted - 08/11/2018 08:19
- South Sudan student’s kin bury her in Mumbai, ask for footage of railway accident - 18/07/2018 17:37
- NCAC submits banking laws to justice ministry - 28/02/2023 06:11
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 70825 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22374 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21585 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 19358 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19229 times