Today's adventure saw me flying up to Pibor, a largish village north-east of Juba quite near the Ethiopian border.Also in the plane was a team with Reconcile, who are leading a three-day peace-building workshop between the Nuer and Murle people groups. Our pilot Stefan dropped us off and then did two flights to Akobo to take two planeloads of people attending the workshops from there.
The sense of community in Africa is far stronger than here in the UK. So when a cattle raid occurs from another people group, it can lead to revenge not just against the individual cattle raiders, but to their whole family and people group. Cattle raiding is someting done as a lot of cattle is required to pay the dowry when it comes to marriage.
So, inter-tribal conflict is sometimes a big problem in Sudan. Just last year, such an incident resulted in a lot of death and displacement, and MAF flew in several tons of food aid for the church who were supporting those who were displaced and had nothing.
Anyway, it turns out that women are key in helping to keep the peace within their respective families. So, most of the people attending the workshop are women, and hopefully this will really equip them to help keep the peace when tensions run high.
It's great that the church and missions are really getting involved in promoting peace, not just between people groups, but also to make rural communities aware about the importance of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan and the upcoming elections in April.
When the plane landed at Pibor, we were treated to a welcoming song by a group of women.
That was neat. As the plane took off without me to Akobo, it was a good experience to get away from the airstrip and go into the village (even if I was the only white person there!). The homes are basic, the flies are everywhere, poverty is rife. But the sense of community was strong, the market place was very social, and the people are great.
That was neat. As the plane took off without me to Akobo, it was a good experience to get away from the airstrip and go into the village (even if I was the only white person there!). The homes are basic, the flies are everywhere, poverty is rife. But the sense of community was strong, the market place was very social, and the people are great. 
On the way back from the compound where the Reconcile team were staying, I enjoyed a luxurious bread and bean feast at the local restaurant. It was so good, that you didn't even need cutlery to eat it. After all, cutlery doesn't deserve to be associated with such a brilliant food. And you know what, it even came with its own natural air display too - birds flying inside just overhead so you can almost touch them. And it goes on; it even had air conditioning - after all, air comes in very well between the sticks in the walls, refreshing at a temperature of just 40C.Back at the plane, the children were very excited to see my camera out and kept asking for their photos to be taken. They were very cute! I noticed one boy on crutches as he lost a leg. Another boy had lost an arm there. Both were smiling away, but it is a reminder of the difficulties that the area has faced. But they get on with their lives, and we must pray for peace and a sense of lasting hope for Pibor in the midst of political uncertainty.
