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Juba, the capital city of the
Republic of South Sudan, is one of
Africa's fastest growing cities, not
least due to the waves of Chinese
workers who have moved there to help
develop the area's oil industry.
It is estimated that today Juba has a
metro population of some 440,000 (2022),
rising from 200,000 in just six
years. The
city is located on the Bahr al-Jabal (the Mountain Nile) and
was effectively founded in 1922 by
Greek traders, although the area had
been a trading hub for Turkish
traders from the 19th century. After the Second World War, Juba came to prominence when a conference was held there in which representatives of the northern and southern parts of the Sudan agreed to unify against the wishes of the British Government who had planned on what is now South Sudan becoming part of neighbouring Uganda. This unification though was seemingly doomed to failure with Juba becoming the home of southern resistance to northern domination over the following decades. Conflict was ongoing until 1972 then erupted again in 1983 however ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 which granted autonomy to the region of southern Sudan with Juba being named as the semi-autonomous regional capital. When the southern region of Sudan finally seceded in 2011, Juba became the capital of the newly independent country of South Sudan.
Juba
is largely comprised of four areas.
Firstly the Nile Camps which sit on
the River Nile itself. These camps
include the Oasis and Mango camps as
well as a number of hotels and are
the site of the Juba Bridge that stretches across the Nile. Juba itself,
originally a small port on a
tributary to the Nile, is home to the
city's jail, police, banks and
bureaus. Wizara Road hosts Juba's
parliament and government ministries
as well as offices for UNICEF and
other organisations whilst Malakia is
the commercial and shopping sector of
the city. Rubbish is normally piled up on the
streets and set fire to whilst the
city itself is strewn with makeshift
buildings made of bricks with tin
roofs. Some have described Juba as
one big construction site and locals
speak ruefully of the influx of
foreigners in recent years that have
created a relatively cosmopolitan
society with Ugandan and Eritrean
restaurants as well as Kenyan food
kiosks. European style casual dress
is the norm. Nearly everything in Juba is shipped in by road with the construction of a highway from Juba to the Ugandan border facilitating this trade.
There aren't any tourist attractions as such in Juba, however visitors can take in All Saints Cathedral, St. Joseph's Catholic Church, St.Theresa Cathedral, the main Mosque and Juba Stadium. Clearly a visit wouldn't be complete without spending some time on and around the river. Please note, the security situation across South Sudan remains volatile and criminals are active, many armed as weapons are in no short supply following years of turmoil. We also recommend avoiding public transport as many drivers aren't qualified to be on the roads, pop-up illegal checkpoints manned by armed men are common place and women in particular are often physically absused. Road accidents are also common. To put this in context, South Sudan remains one of the most dangerous operating environments for aid workers in the world with regular incidents of violence, intimidation, arbitrary detentions and kidnappings being reported. A holiday destination of choice for the (very) few! The video of Juba (below) gives a
good look and feel of the city.
Juba Profile: Volunteer in South Sudan
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Juba Profile: Juba City Map
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Juba Profile: Sponsor Children in South Sudan
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Juba Profile: Country Profile
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