Crossing the border to Sudan from a dusty little town in northern Uganda, the hills of the Congo a stone's throw to your left, you still have to make your way from customs officer to police representative in order to receive the appropriate stamps. The long arm of the State these days extends its reach even here, historically one of the more lawless spots on Earth, with the armies and rebel militias of three nations having spent much of the nineties crossing, recrossing, ignoring these borders.
The offices in Uganda are in low mud huts, reed mats for roofs, similar in all ways to the houses of the local citizenry. There are no signs. You have to ask which buildings you need to visit at the bar, a kiosk with a space out front shaded by tin sheets supported by gnarled posts. A man dressed in jeans and a clean shirt waves toward the next hut and finishes his anecdote before climbing to his feet and following you.
You stoop to enter a dark, cool space, about two meters by two. It's jammed with a bench, a chair, a desk overflowing with forms, and at least two other people waiting to answer a few bored questions about why, where, and how long. The room - even the hard bench - is comfortable after the previous two hours bumping and bouncing north from the airfield at Arua.
Your eyes adjust to the dark. On one wall is a calender from a building supply company, offering images of chandeliers and mahogany dining room sets, wide windows and vistas of the sea. On another is a poster, its bright purple border contrasting with the crude line drawing of a jail cell and prisoner.
Suspects Have Rights!
- don't torture them
- give them food
- give them medical attention
- don't steal their property
Perhaps Uganda could improve its current account balance a bit by exporting some of these posters. There might be a few interested countries out there.
Posted by Martial