Complex fragility

Standard 'flying out of Juba towards Yambio' snap. This is one of South Sudan's Internally Displaced People's (IDP), otherwise known as Protection of Civilians (PoC), camps on the outskirts of the capital. Millions are across borders in Uganda, Kenya and Democratic Republic of Congo but others are displaced closer to home. Situations for all are grave, probably more so for the refugees still within South Sudan's borders.

I read today that South Sudan overtook Somalia into pole position on the most recent Fragile States Index. This is somewhat surprising as South Sudan has government institutions and pockets of lower instability (such as the far south-west where I am), yet the country is crippled by food insecurity, an economic crisis and an ongoing, messy, fractured civil war. In Yambio market I looked around at faces both serious and lighthearted and wondered how people reconcile their daily lives with the state of the nation as a whole. I am surprised the South Sudanese pound has remained stable against the dollar for a few months, although it couldn't have previously devalued any more rapidly or disastrously. If Yambio wasn't an agricultural region with enough rainfall to farm productively, people's survival would be hanging in the balance as it is for millions in the east and north. Now fuel shortages have taken hold nationwide. In Juba hundreds of vehicles are piled up at gas stations in futile waits that may last several days. In Yambio, fuel is not available officially, yet due to the nearby land borders and relative ease of travel, fuel can be found on the black market. I found myself at a random shack helping to manoeuvre a two hundred litre barrel into the back of our vehicle with only two old tyres as props.

I got distracted during all of this fuel business and remembered coasting downhill in my mum's Skoda during the UK's fuel shortage around 2000. I remember it seeming catastrophic at the time but we'd cope better now the digital era is upon us and much can be done remotely.

Despite being No 1 Fragile State, as I lie in bed Masiya Market at the nearby junction is as lively as I've heard it so far, with music pounding out, neon lights flaring, and gangs gyrating. People don't want to dwell on the woes of being South Sudanese, they want some fun escapism, in the form of bumping and grinding.

If there is one thing that a) age and b) South Sudan can teach you it's that there is no such thing as a black and white perspective on the world. It's as complicated as a spasming kaleidoscope on acid, and only gets more so.

Today's my ninth work anniversary. With fascinating experiences like these, long may it last.