Agok and Beyond

Well I survived Agok. It was a lot of fun but I must press on. I have been placed in another team. I was with the co-location. They are responsible for visiting the police stations and trying to offer advise and identify any areas where the local police need updating and offer day training to meet those needs. As of two days ago I am working in the RRR(Return Recovery and Reintegration) office. For example, there was very little law enforcement capacity in the outlying villages of the Abyei area prior to UNMIS being here. This office along with the UN civilian counterpart, which goes by the same name was responsible for identifying villages along the migration routes of the Misseriya and having police stations built there. Also as a show of support for the police in the area UNMIS there has been a request to have them fuel their vehicles at the UN base and we basically got the paper work in line for that little project.

I am really looking forward to the new position. It seems like you actually get something accomplished and every once in a while you get to go out into the villages and check things out. I think it is going to be very satisfying.

So that's the update on my job situation. As far as everything in Abyei goes not much has changed. It is still dusty and hot, we've had trace amounts of rain since last week when I was in Agok. It is actually raining right now but not very hard. Everything is very dry again. I imagine sometime soon that is going to change though.

As far as news from Sudan. In the Jonglei area which is about 400 kms southeast of Abyei there has been some clashes, more like slaughters by the sounds of things. About a dozen villages have been burnt and since most of the men were away guess who took the brunt of the onslaught. I am told there were in excess of 150 victims. Another despicable act in a country that has seen more than its fair share.