about 4 a.m. I start to hear all the roosters crowing. i can’t estimate the number. too many to count I think.

between 5 and 6 I can start to hear various neighbors starting to get up and move around. Babies waking up, crying for their mother’s milk. Old men coughing. Women washing. Children yelling or being yelled at.

From 7 most of the neighborhood is awake. Motorcycles roaring to life as their drivers speed off in a hurry to get nowhere, taking little heed of the obstacles in the roads or anything else that might pop up in their way. They dart in front of vehicles provoking a stream of angry yells and the blast of a car horn. Radios at different volumes share the morning news or music meant for a night club.

Around 8 those that go to school start on their way. Those that don’t look for another glass of tea or the remaining mandazi (doughnut) and then run off looking for mischief to get into.

If I am still in bed, it is because I am being lazy. I can hear the whole neighborhood awake and beginning their day. The house, hut, tukel or whatever it may be called doesn’t keep out the noise. Apparently bamboo and grass don’t muffle much in the way of sound waves.

This morning it rained. Very hard. This house sits at a funny slant. It ran down the outside and inside to the floor, forming a little stream that passed through one side of the room. Need to fix that.

The rest of the day got warm. Lots of sun, lots of heat. For a couple of weeks I was driving around in a pickup with my arm hanging out the window getting a one sided tan. This last week I have stayed indoors in the air conditioning a bit more and i think I am losing the browness. I don’t care though. Its too hot out there.

i visited one of my clients this afternoon and drank 3 of my beers. 500 ml cans are big. I realized after the fact that three tall boys are about the same as six small. My head is spinning just a little bit.

Its quiet for now. Thats good.

Mary is looking to go to Sudan on Saturday. I wanted to go as well, but we don’t feel comfortable leaving all the family behind during the situation that is taking place here in Kenya.

I am slightly frustrated. At the moment it doesn’t seem very safe for all of us to stay here. Have been considering what it might take to get us all the Juba for the interium. But as I look at the situation in Sudan at the moment, things there are not the best. The North has missed it’s deadline to withdraw the Sudan Armed Forces from areas in the South. I don’t know how many times this makes it with missing these deadlines, but it is alot.

Over the course of the last few months the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan has been undergoing a bit of stress and threatening to fall apart. Part of the agreements that have helped to continue keeping it together was the deadline of today to withdraw SAF from areas in the South. This could potentially cause some problems.

As well there are reports coming out about fighting in border regions between SPLA (Southern Sudan military) and militia groups supported by the North. This could also cause some problems.

So… as we sit here in Kenya wondering if the country is going to fall apart, we have to also wonder if Sudan is getting close to starting up another fight itself.

It has been a week now and things have gone really quiet. A few days after the incident in Bor, leaders from Murle, Dinka along with government officials including Riak Machar met in Bor. We don’t know the results from that meeting or what actions are to take place next. There are reports that military units from the JIU (Joint Integrated Units) have been deployed to provide some security. Not sure if this is accurate or not.

So at least for the moment it seems that some calm has come back to the place. I just hope the two groups are actively discussing and looking for a way forward that doesn’t involve more killing.

On Thursday we got news from contacts in Sudan that Dinka were attacking and killing Murle in Bor town. It was apparently in retaliation to an attack that had happened the day before. Our initial report indicated that Dinka had attacked and killed at least nine Murle. The attacks took place in the MSF hospital and other parts of the town. All of the rest of the Murle in Bor had to take shelter under heavy guard. We also heard that military forces were moving from Bor towards areas occupied by Murle with a possible intention of attacking them.

No official reports from Bor itself have come out except for a report from MSF Belgium. Reuters picked up that story and I think it has made to the likes of CNN and a few others.

According to the Reuters story, only seven people were killed. The last update we have heard was yesterday that indicated the Government of South Sudan was attempting to evacuate the Murle. Along with the Murle we also heard that a number of Anyuak and Nuer families were wanting to leave as well. It seems up to this point they are still in Bor because the community or members of the military are refusing to let them leave just yet.

All of this is very sad news for us, especially for Mary.

It seems a bit strange that some of the Sudan news outlets havn’t picked up the story yet. Normally they are very quick to write something about Murle aggression against the Dinka. I ran a search this morning looking for more information, but only found the MSF reports and a letter from “Citizens of Jonglei” to the president titled “Petition to Stop Insecurity in Jonglei State”. It primarily focused on their problems with the Murle. It briefly mentioned some problems relating to insecurity on the road between Juba and Bor, but neglected to mention by the names the tribes they are having conflict with there.

We are keeping a watch to see what happens in the course of the next few days. It feels like there may be a war brewing between Dinka and Murle. The Government doesn’t really seemed bothered to do much. This tension isn’t new. People have been beating the war drums for a long time now and the GoSS just sits and watches what might happen.

before I forget, here is the link the a memorial page that MSF put up about one of it’s workers who died in the attacks on the hospital