A new reservation is open to the world and to Israelis - in South Sudan

Dr. Assaf Rosenthal joined the only operator for the time being of safari tours in South Sudan, which has just been born and has already declared a third of its territory as a nature reserve, where you can see, among other things, the largest animal migration in Africa

(The full photographed article will appear in the next issue of the journal "Teva HaHavid", expect many beautiful photos)

The first impression of the Sudanese was at the airport in Addis Ababa, when following the announcement of a delay in the flight to Juba, a violent riot broke out, a number of young people broke into the aircraft parking area in a vain attempt to "capture" a plane to fly home.

After two hours the plane took off, the clear sky made it possible to see the agricultural plateaus southwest of Addis. Later on, the mountains become sharper and the settlements dwindle, suddenly the landscape turns into green plains that stretch to the horizon. As soon as I saw the plains I knew that we had crossed the border and were flying over South Sudan.

Juba, the capital, welcomed us with crowd, bustle, heat and humidity, but the impressive welcome was a rainstorm that lasted for about five hours. The rainstorms make up the "municipal garbage disposal system". The garbage is thrown and spilled on the sides of the streets in drainage canals that turn into streams and flow the garbage into the Nile (the White) and thus the banks of the longest river in the world are covered with a layer of garbage. But with a wide view you see the dense grove of mango trees on the banks of the river and everywhere.

The capital Juba is a random collection of "feelings" built from palm fronds, tins and plastic, crumbling brick buildings and hotels built in recent years mainly to house the thousands of Europeans and Americans who are engaged in providing humanitarian aid and administrative support in the new country.

Despite the large number of "whites" living in the city, the day-to-day activities are carried out at the pace of the "pola-pola" - slowly, at the rate of the flow of the Nile in the plains of South Sudan, a rate familiar to anyone who has visited Africa. The shabby impression of the capital changes as soon as you leave the city and go out into the countryside and you discover Africa at its best: savannahs and green forests that stretch as far as the eye can see...

But I've already advanced late to early, so let's go back to the beginning:

Several years ago I got off an El Al flight from Nairobi to Tel Aviv because of "overbooking". The station manager did everything to make my time in Nairobi enjoyable and found me an alternative flight which was "Egypt-Air". I got a seat in the "business" section and went up happy and good-natured. I didn't know that the flight would be on a... land route.

I flew over Sudan and landed (for a few scary minutes) in Khartoum. The flight along the White Nile on a clear day was for me a great compensation against the minutes of fear in Khartoum. It was a clear day and excellent visibility so that long before landing I noticed unfamiliar terrain features and recognized... the White Nile splits into dozens of streams that form the "secret" swamps. Later I saw the Blue Nile approaching from the east, from the front of the plane I could see the point where the blue and white join and form the shape of the "prow".

What I saw from above and what I knew about the area made me decide that as soon as possible I would try to visit a land that should be wild, rich and diverse. After South Sudan gained independence I thought it was time to fulfill my dreams. I tried, checked and started the preparations for the journey that for me was supposed to be a first and special one.

South Sudan, the 193rd new country in the United Nations, has "interesting" and problematic years ahead of it, and yet, outside of all the political and economic problems that await the new country, for those who love Africa in general and the East in particular, for those who appreciate the natural wealth of Africa - South Sudan can be one The jewels in the crown of Africa's nature reserves.

A virgin area where one of the largest seasonal mammal migrations in the world takes place. Some say that after several years of protection, the number of migrating animals will surpass those between Kenya and Tanzania. Hundreds of thousands of antelopes and zebras and especially the Nile kobus ("white-eared kobus" Kobus kob) whose males boast a black body and large horns. The kobus move in huge herds despite the wild hunting that has occurred for many years, they are accompanied by thousands of topis, zebras and wildebeest, and sometimes the herds are joined by individual individuals of the "pale deer" (Gazella dama), a rare deer that comes from the dry areas of the Sahel. They all move in an elliptical path between the grazing areas and the areas where the males fight for the right to fertilize females.

Before I left, I knew that visiting all the areas of interest would be expensive and almost impossible, so I aimed for the reserve that had long been announced and opened for visiting - the Badingilo reserve was opened for visiting, but for now there are no visitors, and the infrastructure there is only a structure used by the keepers of the reserve. To get to the reserve (from Juba the capital) you have to endure a bumpy ride in an all wheel traction vehicle on a dirt road for about three hours. Bandingilo is considered to be the largest pristine and unspoiled savanna area in East Africa.

A visit to the reserve, which is about ten thousand square kilometers in size, requires several days. Days that each of them will fully justify

The jolts on bumpy and muddy roads in the reserve, a forested area that borders the White Nile and open savannah areas that after the rains are pastures for many herbivores, and these of course attract predators. A huge variety of birds completes the unique wealth of the reserve.

Around the reserve are pastures of the Dinka shepherds - one of the largest tribes in South Sudan and perhaps the most "colorful" of them. The pastures and the struggles over many years demarcated the boundaries of the pastures of the wild animals, but did not prevent the wild hunter who thinned the herds. In spite of the hunting and perhaps because of the vast area of ​​the reserve, its population is rich and diverse, which guarantees that several years of proper management, guarding and conservation will raise the Badingilo reserve to a similar ranking and equal to the well-known reserves of Africa.

On both sides of the White Nile are groves of mango trees, green meadows, swamps and lakes, evergreen forests and savannahs. All these constitute a green and fertile land where nature is at its best.

Badingilo is only one of 16 reserves, some of which are national parks and some are biosphere reserves. All the protected areas encompass about 200 thousand square kilometers in a country that has an area of ​​about 600 thousand square kilometers, which means that a third of the country's territory is protected and reserved areas.

The famous migration runs between the northern fringes of Badingilo through the Boma Reserve which is a plateau covered in savannah and sparse woodlands. A small part of the wanderers reach the most well-known and famous area of ​​all, the Sudd - an area of ​​swamps and lakes that was created as a result of the splitting of the White Nile into hundreds of sections, and as such is considered the largest in all of Africa. The almost only and most impressive way to see it is from the air.

In South Sudan there is a mountainous area and flat plains which together create a large and interesting variety of ecological environments. An equatorial forest bordering the Congo and Uganda with the possibility of chimpanzees and possibly gorillas. Green savannahs, many streams and the (White) Nile River create rich habitats that have not yet been damaged by the hazards of the modern world.

The intention is to create a huge biosphere reserve that will include Badingilo Reserve, Boma and Jonglei Reserve. Together, an area will be created that draws a huge arc, starting south of the capital Juba and extending eastward, touching the border of Ethiopia and turning westward into the Sod swamps. In this way, corridors will be created that link the three reserves to the secret.

The development of conservation projects and sites for tourism will be one of the most important steps in the new state. The opening of the Badingilo Reserve is the first step in a process that should lead to a change in the economic situation of the residents of the area, since the establishment of tourism projects will allow the locals to engage in various crafts that will improve their situation and show them that preserving nature is worthwhile and profitable.

As the local speakers already say, "If the animals help us, we will be good to them", "If the reserve provides work and security, the robberies will stop, schools and clinics will be built - that's good". That is, by preserving nature and the environment it will be possible to improve the living conditions of its residents, by developing conservation and tourism it will be possible to give encouragement to the economy of the new country.

Elia and Kotz Ba... Today, the main income of the Juba government is royalties from oil production, and although forecasts show a decrease in production in the next decade, the oil companies hold great power, both in areas many of which border reserves and drilling concessions within the reserves. Conservation of nature versus other land uses may lead to conflict. Almost all reserve areas in Edingilo are in the concession area of ​​the French oil giant "Total".

A senior representative of the company who was the guest of honor at the ceremony announcing the reserve and inaugurating the guard building refused to comment on the future conflict. The conservationists hope that they will be able to cooperate with oil companies to ensure adequate conservation activities.

Oil is not the only problem, development will lead to the construction of roads (today there are 50 km of asphalt roads in South Sudan). Road construction will facilitate access not only for tourists but also for hunters. Since it is assumed that the rate of infrastructure development will outpace the tourists, i.e. the income from conservation, a situation will arise in which the locals still have no income from tourists, but it is already easier and simpler to hunt. What will the residents prefer? What's more, after years of war, the name of the area is associated with violence and insecurity, which does not add attraction to tourists.

The relative proximity of Badingilo to the capital city will moderate the feeling of insecurity and will be a positive starting point for visits to more distant and larger reserves. Where there is interest and ability, there is hope.

The country is large and wide and in order to reach the reserves, one travels through areas most of which are the grazing lands of the residents of South Sudan, which gives visitors the opportunity to visit and see up close the villages and the daily activities of their inhabitants. Three super-tribes and about 12 other small tribes make up the majority of the country's population of about 8 million inhabitants.

The three major tribes are: the Dinka, the Nuer and the Shilluk. The people of most tribes live by herding herds of cattle, for the people of the tribes cattle are everything - property, social status and of course a source of life and livelihood. The importance of the cattle is so great that there are those who define the herds of cattle as having "mystical spiritual importance". Of course, as a result of this importance, violent frictions arise, and despite this, their traditional way of life is a source of attraction and interest for visitors. The frictions do not add to the feeling of security and order, yet the residents are friendly to foreign visitors. It is to be hoped that the residents of South Sudan and its leaders will choose the right path and succeed in restoring and restoring the wonderful nature of their country.

It is not easy to travel in the new country. Except in the hotels in the big cities there are no accommodation options, not even in "camping" since the reserves have no infrastructure to receive visitors. The trips to the reserves are long and sometimes the roads are full of mud and impassable, therefore a multi-wheel drive vehicle with luggage and equipped for a long stay in the field is necessary, that is: fuel, water, food and spare parts, all of these are a necessity. On top of that, you should hire guards, so that a trip becomes a complicated and difficult operation.

The trip is intended for the young in heart and spirit, for lovers of nature and Africa, for adventurers who want to experience the experiences of African explorers at the end of the 18th century and to experience firsthand. I did most of the preparation trips in Africa alone, hitchhiking, public transportation and a rented car. It turned out to me that in South Sudan none of the options are practical. I contacted the Minister of the Environment and Tourism and received an invitation to visit, but the invitation was without any details and without a promise of what it would include, so I decided to "give up the honor".

After multiple tests and searches on the net and through African acquaintances who are involved in tourism, I came to the conclusion that the right way to "safari" in South Sudan is: joining an organized trip where the operator takes care of all needs. Finding such an operator was not easy since at the moment there is only one ("tour-operator") that until recently operated safaris in Uganda and cruises on the Nile, between Khartoum and Juba. It turned out to me that now with the formation of the new political entity, the operator (like me) sees the special attraction of the new destination. With the help of "Travels - Amsalem" I was able to make contact with him and through him fulfill a long-standing ambition.

I arrived in the capital Juba on a flight from Addis Ababa, I settled in a hotel on the banks of the Nile. I dedicated an entire day to visit the offices of the Minister of Tourism and the Environment and thank his people for the invitation, the next day I intended to join a small group of travelers from all over the world and the wonderful journey to the Africa of old was supposed to begin, later it will be understood why "it was supposed to be".

Since there is no tourist infrastructure in the reserves, a camp is set up that includes showers and toilets, a kitchen and a dining room and tents with beds and bedding, for each tent a balcony facing the view, the camp provides laundry services, unlimited water and soft drinks, in short an improved hostel.

The journey combines flights over the reserves and the migratory herds with trips in a multi-engine vehicle when the pilot directs the passengers to the centers of migration and the happenings in the field. (And especially for me a short aerial sortie over the swamps of the secret).

I wrote "it was supposed to start" and here's the explanation: already in Israel I checked the weather in South Sudan and it turned out to me that the dry season was late in arriving... When I arrived in Juba I met the organizer of the trip and it brought the "Gospel of Job", "the entire area is flooded with pioneers

Those who were tasked with setting up the camp were unable to arrive because of the flooding. During a reconnaissance flight, the pilot saw that the landing area was also flooded", meaning there is no camp, no possibility of traveling in the area and no possibility of landing with a plane.

To illustrate the problem we received pictures:

It is clear that after the beginning of the journey when I was already in Juba and with the expectations I had, I did not give up. The operator who accepted me as a representative of "Travels - Amsalam" went out of his way to help and we looked for alternative options. We searched and found. We went on trips within a short travel distance from Juba to get an impression of the rich flora and fauna of South Sudan, and above all (instead of the relatively large Cessna Caravan) we rented a small plane that flew us over the migratory herds... and so instead of long and shaky trips we flew comfortably over the reserves and got to see migration at its best .

The needs are many, therefore the organized trip is not cheap, and yet those who want to experience Africa like the first explorers (and like Hemingway). Those who want to see nature in Africa as it was more than 100 years ago, those who want to experience Africa at its best - should join a "safari" in the South Sudan reserves.

Information for those interested in the safari assaf@eilatcity.co.il

South Sudan - appendices

The Republic of South Sudan, whose capital is Juba, is divided into 10 districts/countries, according to the United Nations estimate, its population is about 8 million

• Its area is 619,745 square kilometers.
• Two languages ​​spoken in the country English and Arabic, to which are added Arabic-Juba, Dinka and others, the new administration announced that English will be the official language.
• The official religion - Christianity, traditional religions.
• The currency is the South Sudanese pound.
• The main export is oil
• Other export branches (according to literature), are (hard) wood, iron ore, copper, chrome, silver and gold.
• The Nile and its tributaries enable the production of electricity which is exported to the neighbors, a little agriculture enables the export of cotton, sugar cane and fruit. (Practically none of the residents knew about minerals, agriculture or export branches except for oil,
• Because of the loose land connection with Sudan there is a lack of petroleum distillates, all imports come through Mombasa
• On the Khattim road, the journey on which lasts three days. Most of the residents live "from hand to mouth" and make a living from the cattle herds.
• ‫

history (ancient)

Since there is no historical record until modern times, we can only rely on the oral history that was told from word of mouth, according to tradition, the way of life, the appearance and the behavior belong to the inhabitants of South Sudan to the branch of the Nilotes, shepherds who were there already in the 10th century and were divided into three large tribes and a number Rabbi of tribes and sub-tribes.

The history (new)

• Between 1899 and 1955, Sudan was part of a territory controlled jointly by England and Egypt
• In 1956, Sudan gains independence
• In 1962, the first war broke out between the Muslim North and the Christian South
• In 1969, Noumieri, who supports autonomy for the south, takes power
• In 1972, as part of peace agreements, the south receives (partial) autonomy.
• In 1978, oil is discovered in the north of South Sudan
• In 1983 Noumeiri cancels the autonomy and as a result fights break out between the north and the south
• In 1988, a cease-fire was agreed upon without implementation
• In 1989 the army takes power in Khartoum
• In 1993 Omar Bashir was appointed president of Sudan
• In 2001, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the leader of the National Party in the Sudanese Congress and the leaders of the rebels in the south - the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). The Sudanese government accepts an initiative by Libya and Egypt to stop the fighting.
• In 2002 a ceasefire agreement was signed (again).
• In 2005, a peace agreement was signed between Sudan and South Sudan. Before independence, the vice president of Sudan was Salva Kiir Mayardit. in a helicopter crash. Despite the agreements, the fighting continues and thousands find their deaths in local frictions between Muslim militias and the SPLA, the conflicts mainly around Abyei which is the area where the oil reserves are located.
• In 2009, the court in The Hague ruled that the main oil field would be in the hands of Sudan.
• In 2010 Omar Bashir agrees to accept the results of a referendum
• In January 2011, the residents of the south vote and express their desire for full independence
• In June 2011, an agreement was signed between the North and the South to withdraw the army from the Abaye region, an Ethiopian "army of peace"
• entered the area to maintain order.
• On July 9, 2011 Independence Day.

Oil friction in Abaye

Abyei is an area of ​​friction because of the oil deposits in the area, but the friction is not only because of the oil. In the area, cattle herding tribes - the Dinka and the Ngok - from the south meet with shepherds and Muslim farmers

A meeting that throughout human history has always been full of wars.

Frictions also continue in the notorious Darfur region, in the Blue Nile region, as well as in the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan state (Sudan) Nuba Mountains - Sudan's South Kordofan state where acts of violence break out between the locals who identify with South Sudan and the Sudanese forces. Within South Sudan, factions have emerged that oppose the central government (some say that they are funded by Sudan on the one hand and on the other hand by a faction that split from the SPLA) and continue hostilities against Sudan.

One of the areas that will become a huge reserve is Jonglei, which is home to enormous biodiversity and is a corridor for the great migration, but Jonglei is home to two tribes of shepherds whose enmity breaks out from time to time and manifests itself in cattle rustling, stealing children and burning villages. Frictions that used to end in a fight with sticks and spears turned into Kalashnikov fights and of course the results accordingly.

As in other regions after many years of wars there are many weapons in the area and the central government faces the immediate need to collect illegal weapons and stop the chaos. The violent frictions take place hundreds of kilometers away from the capital and the visiting sites, therefore they have no effect on the safety of the visitors so that the visit to the reserves is completely safe.