Barnaba Marial Benjamin

Underneath the mango trees

Juba, the main town in southern Sudan, was its normal, languid self on Saturday.

It was as if the townspeople were taking a break from the hectic pace of the day before which saw rallies, public meetings and an all-night music concert.

Those who were busy were the organisers of the week-long referendum beginning on Sunday along with journalists and poll observers from all over the world here to witness and record the historic event.

While the observers busied themselves by consulting senior government of Southern Sudan and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement [the ruling party] officials, journalists had a string of press briefings lined up for them.

It began with a joint briefing by Chan Reec Madut, who heads the Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau, and Barnaba Marial Benjamin, the minister for information.

As the nascent ministry’s conference room was small, the briefing was held under a mango tree.

"It is good not to have a five-star hot