Ben Wilhelmi

South Sudan, aerials

 

The White Nile, not exactly a one body river. With my little experience in the country, it always seems comprised of smaller rivers, swamps and ponds…

 

 

A World Food Program center in Pibor.

 

A refugee camp entrance, Rubkona.

 

A flooded village. Notice the 2 colors for the flooding waters standing side by side, the villagers attempted a barrier which only seems to contain a different colored water.

 

 

 

A salt water body. It is quite contained on a square km or 2. Further the water looks normal again. No reference on the map.

A refugee camp in South Sudan

 

Rubkona, 2 months ago in the floods.

 

A Mi 26 on take off.

I tried to be smart and came very close but the  rotor wash was so strong I had a hard time to stand up. I found my hat 30m away. The other bystanders knew better and had kept their distance.

 

 

 

Some details of the main camp street.

 

At one entrance.

 

At a corner of the camp, I still have to figure out what this is.

Aerial photography in South Sudan

 

A flooded hamlet in September.

 

 

The White Nile near Bor.

 

The Nile near Juba.

 

A flooded village, Agok, 2 months ago.

 

One passenger was a saint?

 

The Nile.

 

A swamp somewhere near Pibor. Many swampy areas in South Sudan.

 

A flooded refugee camp, Rubkona.

 

A woman soaping herself on the road.

A refugee camp, aerials, South Sudan

 

A refugee camp in Rubkona in the north west, IDP status, that is Internally Displaced People. 1,3 million in the country. 450,000 more refugees have left to neighboring countries. Mind blowing numbers…

I’ve shown this kind of picture before: I’m still puzzled by the fact that only this camp is badly flooded around.

 

Yesterday I overflew and took some details. Notice the little dykes around the tents.

 

A part of the main street…below a cropping of the same picture:

Those brown slabs are clean water reservoirs. What an irony that people have to get into dirty water to access the clean one. Towards the right side, these are kids playing in the water under the scorching sun.

 

More water tanks, different models.

 

I’m not too sure what this is. A watchtower monitored by peacekeepers? There are a few on the perimeter…

 

Toilets… wadding skills required. One other camp is reported with 1 latrine for 158 persons. The crisis level says 1 for 50… it doesn’t look too bad here, no queues to be seen.