There was a demonstration this morning by
the Ethiopian community- an Ethiopian was recently killed – don’t know the
details.
And they were protesting insecurity in
Juba.
About 2 months ago I was in Nairobi in a
cab and somehow we started talking about Juba- and the cab driver (assumes I am
Kenyan) starts to go on and on about how south Sudanese are xenophobic because
he knows of 3 kenyans that have been killed/targetted in Juba.
I’ve also heard Ugandans talk a lot about
this- our people are killing their people
One might begin to think that it really is that
we are targeting foreigners.
What I find interesting is that we are all
aware that that
-
South Sudan is a post-conflict
country- meaning that guns are everywhere.
-
We do not have established
institutions (we don’t even have a number for the police or the fire
brigade).
-
This town has grown
exponentially- not just due to returnees but also foreigners coming to work and
do business here. Not all these people
are of the savoury type – not excluding returnees but also including foreign
workers.
-
Im sure add on the austerity
measures and….
-
Insecurity is to be expected.
And it doesn’t only affect foreigners.
In fact I’d wager that the majority of the
people dying as a consequence of the insecurity in Juba… ok lets speak in
relative terms, not absolutes- the proportion of south Sudanese dying Juba as a
consequence of the security situation is much higher than that of the
foreigners, in Juba.
We all should be aware of the risks
associated with working and living here, and (hopefully we) make an informed
decision when we stay. I’ve lived here for 3 years… I know that the level of aggressiveness here
is higher than anywhere I have lived in, but I have never been hit or shot at-
… threatened… yes. But that’s about it, insha’allah
We should be aware of our surroundings and
who we associate with And yes, by all means have a demonstration against insecurity
in Juba. But not that you are being targeted by the local community, instead
that it is affecting everyone in Juba- local community included.
Lastly, this is the only East African
country that allows any unskilled worker to come and set up business (Ugandans
selling sugarcane on the streets, Ethiopians owning little shops- oh and big
hotels etc.). Everyone claims this leads
to resentment, grumbles about ‘they are taking our jobs’ etc. But this hasn’t resulted in targeted violence
toward local business owners so… lets not cry wolf (yet)
