Safari Notes

Elephants in South Sudan could soon be extinct due to unchecked and uncontrolled, increased poaching and trafficking, conservationists warn. For a country that has just gained independence and which has had about fifty years of civil war and much instability during that time, its wildlife is supposed to be better protected than before. And yet, paradoxically, during those many years of war and instability - its wildlife, although also poached and eaten, were safer than now. All its wildlife: plants, flora and small and large animals were safer. South Sudan's savanna was the largest in Eastern Africa. Today, South Sudan's awesome wildlife is in danger of being destroyed: its wild animals, elephants in particular, are relentlessly being cruelly hunted down by well armed, well organized poachers. Poachers and trafickers from within the country, and many from outside are attracted by abundant, poorly protected wild animals.

Near Jebel Kujur, on the outskirts of Juba is South Sudan's most efficient and most advanced factory. The mass production of beer, is what the Southern Sudanese manufacturing sector has started with in a big way: On the outskirts of Juba proper is a brewery. "That's too far," said the motorcycle taxi, before charging me double to get there. He knew where it was, of course; everyone knows where the beer is made. As we drive, the new concrete roads of the city become rough dirt tracks, and the cheap single-story constructions turn into iron shacks and straw huts. And then, like some incongruous science fiction fantasy, it looms ahead of us: a giant warehouse of pipes and vats and bottling lines; a fully mechanized, fully modern beer factory in a country that makes almost nothing else of its own....... The Guardian The last thing South Sudan needs is beer. It urgently needs proper, working infrastructure and institutions. Many, if not most Southern Sudanese take t...

Sudan Wildlife Had it known peace and stability, the Sudan - where some of the greatest animal concentrations are in and some of the greatest animal migrations take place - could have been one of the most sought after tourist destinations in the world. Many say the greatest animal migrations on Earth take place in South Sudan. Researchers, who only recently could be able to study South Sudan's wildlife, are still very surprised and at times astonished that so many animals still survive in the wild.

Sanganeb - Google Map The first national park  gazetted in the Sudan way back in 1990, Sanganeb is an atoll shaped coral reef on the Red Sea. It, and Dongonab, are said to contain some of the best and most unspoiled coral reefs in the world; both, especially Dongonab, are relatively remote and rarely visited. For the most part, tourism consists of international diving holidays, with visitors flying to Port Sudan and residing on large hotel boats, which travel to anchor at the various diving sites for a few days at a time.

Radom National Park - Google Maps Radom National Park (RNP) is in Southern Darfur, Sudan; extending a little bit into the Central African Republic. After Dinder National Park (DNP), Radom ( Al Radom. In Arabic: محمية الردوم ) - which covers an area of 11,344 sq. km. (7,050 sq. mi.) - is the second most important wildlife area in Northern Sudan. Within the park, there are a few hills lying between its two main, permanent rivers: the Adda and the Umbelasha. These two rivers constitute a watershed separating the Nile and Congo river systems. Radom is mainly covered with shrub-land and woodland; and a few forests. Several rivers, streams and swamps crisscross the park. On the Sudanese side, due to wars and instability in the area, the park is poorly managed and poaching is rampant.

Mainly, due to the resistance of the indigenous locals in and around Juba (the present South Sudan capital) who do not want their land taken for use by their government - there is not enough land to cover the 31 or so square kilometers (about 12 square miles) needed for the construction of new government buildings in the present capital city. Now, the Southern Sudanese government has officially approved the moving of their capital and is now making plans for relocating its capital about 200-250kms. (about 125-155 miles) North or Nort-West of Juba - to Ramiciel ( or Ramshiel or Ramkiel or Ramcel or Ramicel or Ramshel in Lakes State - Arabic: البحيرات‎: Al Buhayra t.) Even before seceding, the southerners were already planning for a new capital city . South Sudan Ramciel or  Ramcel , South Sudan - Click on map to enlarge Note: as I have not been able to find reliable, good map of Ramshiel on the Web - on the above and below maps, I have tried to indicate where Ramciel c...

Juba - click on map to enlarge The capital might be changed, but, today, Juba, is the capital city of the world's newest nation: South Sudan. The city, like the country, has to start from scratch: its infrastructure (systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, housing and transportation), institutions and all the basics a city should have, are almost non-existent. With so many people - Sudanese and non-Sudanese - migrating to or entering the city from within South Sudan, from the North and from other countries, it is very hard to know the present real population of Juba. It could be half-a-million or one million or more; most of who are poor. Those planning, administering and managing Juba, on the White Nile, have a most daunting task. At the same time, with South Sudan awash in oil and the city being built from almost nothing , they can build the city into whatever they want it to be. Properly planned and managed, Juba can be a clean, organized and sustainable metropolis. ...

With South Sudan almost certain to gain independence next month: Sudan's political coordinates will be updated. Sudan will be split and Sudan, as we know it, will no longer look or be the same. The largest country in Africa, has only had brief intervals without wars since its independence. And now its borders, inherited from colonialism, will be changed. North Sudan will still be very large: it will be the 3rd largest country in Africa, after the D.R. of Congo and Algeria; and the 17th largest country in the world. Already, demarcating the new border is causing immense friction between the North and the South; and the splitting of Sudan, is causing intense worries in many parts of ethnically and culturally, very diverse Africa. What will discourage other people in other countries of Africa, not to seek or even fight for independence? After south Sudan splits - what will dissuade people within it not to want, or struggle for, further separation? North  Sudan map - click on map ...

Boma Jonglei - Google Map In-spite of all of the deadly fighting; in-spite of the instability that has lasted for decades; located not far from the Gambela and the Omo National Park in Ethiopia; and not far from Kenya's Lake Turkana National Parks and Uganda's Kidepo Valley National Park , is the most intact savannah ecosystem in East Africa: the Boma National Park. Described as East Africa's largest savanna eco-system. It is about 20,000 to 25,000 sq. km. (about 2,280,000 hectares or 5,631,600 acres) or more, of woodland savanna and grassland in Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria states. Like the Masai Mara-Serengeti, the park has one of the world's greatest and most spectacular animal migration that was described by The New York Times as rivaling that of the Serengeti . The Boma National Park, sometimes called - the Boma Jonglei National Park, is home to a variety of animals: elephants, giraffe and buffalo. It has numerous types of antelopes like: white-eared kob,...

Sudan's Oil Fields Map In about 6 months, South Sudan will become a country. Many say that the new country is very lucky starting off with so much oil, especially with oil prices as high as they are now. It is not oil that should be the country's main attention; South Sudan, will be much better off, if it uses its oil earnings wisely and focuses on developing its other very promising sectors: tourism and agriculture. Read this very interesting and insightful article on South Sudan's wonderful wildlife. Excerpts: ....with new nationhood comes tough decisions and new pressures. Multinational companies seeking to exploit the nation's vast natural resources are expected to arrive in South Sudan, tempting them with promises of development and economic growth, promises that have proven uneven at best across Africa. Dubbed the resource curse, many poor nations have seen their rich, natural resources plundered for the world market, but instead of reaping the financial r...

South Sudan has been setting itself up for its independence. Now, a new capital is being  planned; it could be Juba or another site. In 2004, Rumbek was being talked of as the most likely new capital of South Sudan, should it get independence. Of Rumbek, the BBC reported : with no multi-storey buildings or paved roads and a population of under 100,000 - the ramshackle town of Rumbek has been chosen by Sudan's former southern rebels as the unlikely administrative capital of the south . Click on map to enlarge Click on map to enlarge Now, it is being reported that two new locations are being proposed : an area (not named) that straddles four Southern states and the other is Ramicel ( or Ramshiel or Ramshel or Ramkiel or Ramcel or Ramicel or Ramshel in Lakes State - Arabic: البحيرات‎: Al Buhayra t) - Rumbek is easily found on many maps but I could not find Ramshel on any map. The two competing locations have been proposed for study before the government could choose ...

It has a national flag which looks very much like the Kenyan one; it now has a national anthem ; and it even has an official website . But a name change? That's what some are proposing for the newest country on Earth: South Sudan , the Republic of Kush , the Nile Republic , Azania , Equatoria , New Sudan , Wunjubacel , and even Juwama - an acronym for Juba, Wau and Malakal. All these have been suggested. Excerpts from what is being said about changing South Sudan's name: .....as Sudan referendum dominated some of the world key burning issues for the last three weeks, few voters and writers overjoyed by throwing suggestions of new names if the Sudan is going to fall apart into two nations. Among the proposed names for consideration are The Nile Republic, The Republic of Kush, and South Sudan..... BorGlobe The Daily Citizen published by veteran South Sudan leader Joseph Lagu says that the new nation should be called the Nile Republic. The Standard The new country, however, st...

Before the wars and instability that Sudan has known since its 'independence'  from the British and then the Egyptians, the country must have had a fascinating, abundant and  a variety of wildlife. With its vast green plains, rivers and swamps - elephants, rhinos, lions, buffaloes, leopards, cheetahs, birds and many other animals, must have roamed in many parts of the country.  Presently, not many wild animals are left in the North; Southern Sudan, still has abundant wildlife. The deep swamps of the Sudd, is abundant with wildlife like the white-eared kob and Nile lechwe (Kobus megaceros). Nobody seems to know the true numbers and distribution of Sudan's wildlife. With the country now settling down, both in the North and the South - studies can now be undertaken on this. Today, there are four known national parks in the Sudan : Dinder , Nimule, Southern and Sanganeb ; Sanganeb and Dungonab on the Red Sea, are said to contain some of the best and most unspoiled coral ree...

Before Tunisia, it happened in Sudan. Very rarely mentioned is the popular uprising against Ja'afar Numeiry that took place in Sudan about 25 years ago. In March 1985, a few days after Numeiry had doubled the prices of bread, petrol and public transport, public protests began in Sudan. Daily protests continued and were soon to be joined by university students, union activists and tens of thousands of others. Many were arrested, a state of emergency was declared so as to better manage crackdowns. Then, too, like in Tunisia, the military at first watched impartially; but eventually sided with the popular uprising. On the 5th of April, 1985 - the Sudanese armed forces supported the people's demands for the ouster of Numeiry and seized power in Sudan, while Numeiry was out of the country; they suspended the constitution, sacked Numeiry's top officials and dissolved the People's Assembly. Lead by General Suwar Al'Dhahab, they formed a transitional government...

A new country has just been created in Africa: in Southern Sudan. According to an article in Marketwatch , its future can be bright if: First, with all due respect to the relative harmony with the north concerning oil exports, it can vanish instantaneously. And war with the north is the last thing the new country can afford. .....raw materials would be a godsend for a fledgling landlocked nation with hardly 100 miles of paved roads and an annual average income of less than $1,000. And South Sudan is indeed blessed with a range of other raw materials, from iron and tungsten to copper and zinc. Yet to embark on a truly solid future, Juba would do well to realize at this embryonic stage that overreliance on raw materials has devastated other newborn countries. Besides inviting more friction with the north, a focus on oil is likely to enrich a thin social elite and leave the economy itself degenerate and the populace restive. Conversely, South Sudan can focus on farming, education, infr...

There is a side of Sudan that has always been over-shadowed by the very unstable situation there: its abundant wildlife; on land and in the sea. Wildlife that has suffered as much as humans throughout the wars and conflict; wildlife that has had very little attention and care. Maybe, now, with peace most likely since the creation of Sudan - many from within the country and out of it, will be able to visit, and some - study - the almost unknown and very rarely visited Dinder , the Sukakin Archipelago which has been described as having probably some of the best diving in the World. The Suakin Archipelago is made up of a group of islands offering some of the most unforgettable dives you will ever make in the Red Sea. A lot of the reefs within this constellation have not been dived, and journeys to the area are reminiscent of early exploratory diving ; and the many other places with varying and interesting wildlife in this very large country. And very hopefully, the country's fasci...

Come January next year, no one can blame the Southern Sudanese if they opt for independence. After being marginalized for so long; after, for years, fleeing from place to place in search of safety; and after so much blood and suffering, they can not be blamed for choosing secession. But, doesn't and won't that set a wrong and dangerous precedent for Africa? Won't that encourage others in other African countries, who 'feel' or 'consider' themselves marginalized or oppressed to want or demand and struggle for secession? What is to stop southern Ethiopians or northern Ugandans or north-eastern Kenyans to think of taking the same path as the Southern Sudanese? And should southern Sudan go for independence, what is to stop another or other parts or other tribes of the same Southern Sudan, like the Shuluk or the Nuer demanding for separation, should they feel marginalized or oppressed? There are hundreds of thousands of Southern Sudanese now living in the Nort...

Dinder - Sudan Situated in the East of the country, very close to the Ethiopian border, about 400 km. (205 mi.) south-east of Khartoum - Sudan's capital city, is Dinder National Park (DNP) - some times called Dinda ( In Arabic: محميه الدندر ) . Covering about 6,475 sq. km. (2,500 sq. mi.) - some estimates say the park covers a much larger area; which would make it one of the largest in Africa. Established in 1935, it is the most important wildlife reserve in Northern Sudan. It is one of the two parks in the country  designated as Biosphere Reserves . The other is Radom National Park (RNP) in southern Darfur. The park, in Dinder District, Sennar State, like all game parks and reserves in Sudan, is confronted with several threatening problems such as trespassing livestock, poaching, increased human settlements and encroachment in the surrounding areas. Like all game parks and reserves in Sudan, you can hardly find any detailed information on the park. Photos of it, too, are v...

John Garang After only a few weeks after becoming Sudan's vice-president and after about six months after signing a peace treaty with the North in Kenya, Dr. John Garang de Madiobor (June 23, 1945 – July 30, 2005) was killed in a helicopter crash in late July, 2005. A Dinka, the sixth child of a poor family of seven siblings - 5 brothers and 2 sisters, Garang was orphaned before his teens; due to the conflict in Southern Sudan, he went Tanzania for his secondary school and then on to the US for college and a B.A in economics; then returned to Tanzania for further studies. Later, he returned to America and got his Masters degree and then a Ph.D. after writing a thesis on the agricultural development of Southern Sudan. In the 1970s, Garang joined the Sudanese army and rose to be a lieutenant colonel. In 1983, he started leading the southern Sudan People's Liberatin Army (SPLA) against the northern government forces; this Second Sudanese War lasted for about 21 years and ...

Heard all you need to know about Darfur? Think again. Three years after a government-backed militia began fighting rebels and residents in this region of western Sudan, much of the conventional wisdom surrounding the conflict -- including the religious, ethnic and economic factors that drive it -- fails to match the realities on the ground. Tens of thousands have died and some 2.5 million have been displaced, with no end to the conflict in sight. Here are five truths to challenge the most common misconceptions about Darfur: 1. Nearly everyone is Muslim...................... 2. Everyone is black..................................... 3. It's all about politics................................ 4. This conflict is international................... 5. The "genocide" label made it worse...... For more on the '5 Truths About Darfur' read the article from the Washington Post More on Darfur: Wikipedia , Khalifah.com , Darfur Information , Sudan Tribune , UN News , UNICEF , R...