Hi everybody,

Because of so many requests, I conquered my lazyness and will write you about my experiences here in Sudan! I will be here for a total of 6 weeks, primarily at and near the Netherlands Embassy. I have my own maid who irons my clothes, who does my dishes and who neatly organizes them after I throw them on the floor. The latter happens daily when arriving at the appartment, because it is about 40-45ºC outside. Fortunately, I have my own swimming pool to make the heat a little bearable, and even enjoyable. We celebrate world cup matches on a big screen with illegally imported beer and many white people.

That's the fun side of my trip. Now Sudan itself. The first thing is that it is extremely hot. I have mentioned this before but it influences everything a European can do here. It is dry heat but it still is bloody warm. I've been told to enjoy it and that seems to be the best way to cope with it. Second, this country is h u g e , it is the largest country in Africa and about 3 times the size of France (without its roads, trains and other infrastructure). The ethnic diversity is tremendous, with about 20 major ethnic groups and among those approximately 600 subgroups. On the street you can see Arabs, Dinkas (from South Sudan), Darfurians who fled from the rebellion, and many other groups I don't know the names of.

If you go outside of Khartoum, North South East or West you enter a desert. Amazingly, people live here with cattle and near a source of water, a well (from which they ingeniously 'pump' their water up, see the picture). Fresh water is incredible scarce and groups often have to migrate to acquire fresh water and pasture for their cattle: life is very though for these people. On the other hand, it is what they have always done so we should just respect their way of life.

That is not what the government thinks. In fact, they don't give a damn about these people, especially if they are not Arab Muslims. In the 1970's and 1980's the Sudanese government introduced a series of laws that gives the central government control over 'unregistred' land. Accordingly, many farmers from the central and northern part of the country moved to the South and West (Darfur), which receives a little more rainfall than the North, and started building farms. Consequently, the locals lost the land they had been living on for centuries and their way of life came under threat. This not only happened in Darfur, but also in the East and in the South of the country, causing a lot of anger, rebellion and violent conflict.

Besides the above, many other factors play a role in the conflicts of this country: many conflicts have been politicized. Fortunately, the international community, NGO's and the UN are working very hard to make this country a little more stable. This is particularly necessary because in early 2011, the oil-rich south will vote in a referendum to become independent. Obviously, the North doesn't like this because it will lose the majority of its income.

Allright, that gives you a little bit of a glimpse of what is going on in this country. This place is so incredibly diverse and complex that NGO people and senior diplomats who've spend ages here don't understand what is actually going on, and why things happen so strangely as they do.

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Usually, I spend about 8 hours every day at the embassy. I work on my dissertation (at least I try to), and sometimes I help with small projects and the organization of one of the world cup matches (there doesn't seem to come an end to them!). Travel is quite hard in this country. Even when you go watch the Nubian pyramids, which are located about 3 hours north of Khartoum, you need to register with the authorities so they know where you are. If you want to travel further, for example to Juba (in the South), acquiring a travel permit can take weeks. You can, in fact, accelerate the process by inviting some people over who work for the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and treat them nicely. That's how it works here.

Last weekend I got the chance of going to Darfur. A representative from The Hague came over to attend a conference in the town of El-Fasher and to visit a refugee camp in Nyala by helicopter. Since I helped organizing the trip, I was allowed to join him: a unique opportunity. However, I fell ill 2 days before we would go and I had to cancel the journey. Darfur is probably the last place in the world you want to walk around with severe diarrea and fever :). Too bad though.

Then Khartoum. I heard stories of Khartoum being a vibrant city a couple of decades ago. I must say it is quite ok but there are no bars, clubs, or other places where young people can go and meet like-minded people on an average weekday. Most receptions and parties are happening at embassies or at the so called 'rec-site', the old american recreational area next to the Nile. Usually embassies have a stack of alcoholic beverages. However, many people working for NGO's or the UN don't, so they often get absolutely hammered when they get the chance to.

All in all this is an amazing country and 6 weeks is not enough to grasp its enormous diversity. People are also incredibly nice and helpful, and Khartoum is said to be one of the safest cities in the world. Although people from many faiths and origins live in this city, it is peaceful. This is of course also caused by the overwhelming presence of men in fast white cars wearing sunglasses. On the other hand in Omdurman, about 4 km from Khartoum, we watched the Souffi dances, a mix of Islam and a traditional spiritual religion if I understood the story well. On those moments it is like being in a different world.

Now I got started I can tell you a lot more about this country, the contrast between the expad life and the life of the people on the street, the overall filthyness of this place and the worst driving I've ever seen. The last thing I want to say is that the people at the embassy are lovely. They guide me around this strange world, take me for lunch and dinner every now and then and are very helpful. In the end it is not a bad life as an expat, at least not in Sudan!

Enjoy the summer!

Many greetings from Sudan,

Leendert