As day breaks at the United Nations base in Wau, dozens of peacekeepers are already bustling about, preparing for an important patrol to remote Deim Zubeir in the north-western corner of South Sudan.
Their mission is to assess the security and humanitarian situation in an area plagued by severe food shortages, a lack of access to clean water, healthcare and education, exacerbated by an influx of thousands of refugees and returnees fleeing the conflict in Sudan.
Having made this journey many times, the civilian and uniformed peacekeepers know there will be many challenges.
The first obstacle is the heavily damaged roads, with the convoy having to repeatedly come to a complete halt to navigate its way, one vehicle at a time, through deep pits filled with muddy floodwater. A 300-kilometer trip that should take just a few hours, takes an entire day.
Lurking in the dirty stagnant water is another threat: mosquitos carrying the deadly malaria parasite.
Several peacekeepers are infected, becoming severely ill very quickly, and requiring a medical evacuation by helicopter from Deim Zubeir later in the four-day visit.
Despite the challenges, the peacekeeping team perseveres. They meet with community members, including those who are displaced from their homes, as well as security services and local authorities.
The condition of the roads is top of the agenda, as a lack of access affects peace efforts as well as the economy.
“The road from Raja to Wau and onto the capital Juba is a lifeline for our communities. The conditions are very bad and there is a risk that, at any time during the rainy season, we can be cut off,” says County Commissioner, Addison Arkangelo Musa.
“The price of commodities is also affected, with traders complaining that they have to raise prices in the market to compensate for the cost of overcoming transportation challenges.”
“We are doing our best to carry out repairs, even mobilizing youth to carry rocks and bricks, but we need support from the State and national level with technical expertise, equipment and cement,” he says.
Also affected by the dire humanitarian situation, are the forces gathered at Dulu cantonment site, waiting to be integrated into the National Unified Forces.
