File:Name Gatkuoth Kolang Nyok Age 32 Location Jebel, Juba Origin Yei (14101527018).jpg

I was in Juba on 15th December when the fighting broke out. I am married with three children but my family resides in Yei while I work in Juba.

Our house is in Jebel, near the military barracks. The gunshots started in the evening and went on throughout the night. We could not leave because it was dark and too dangerous to go outside. Staying in the house seemed like a better idea. We were all on the floor, anxious and scared. Gunshots were ringing in different areas, at different times, and at different speeds. It almost sounded like a song. Sometimes the sounds would be closer, as strays would ricochet on our house. Thankfully no one was injured and we had drinking water.

After hours of lying low, the fighting seemed to subside. We left for the UNMISS (UN Mission in South Sudan) compound at 4 pm on 16th December. All this time I was thinking about my wife and children in Yei. If this was happening in Juba, then it must be happening there as well. I had no way of getting information from them and hoped that they were ok.

In the morning, I called my family to find out how they were doing. My wife told me that they hid under their beds whenever there was shooting during the day, and stayed hidden at night. I then received information that there were house-to-house searches and any Nuer was at risk. I had to get my family out of there so I called my uncle, a Dinka, for help. I asked him to go and collect my family and shelter them in his house. He left immediately, picked them up and offered them the relative safety of his home.

My uncle had to travel to Juba, leaving my wife and two children with his family. While in Juba, he received reports from Yei that there were more house-to-house searches in his neighbourhood, targeting Nuers that had not gone into the camps. He called me at night with the news. I could not sleep. In the morning, my worries were abated when my uncle informed me that everyone was alright.

They had called the local police who were assisting anyone from the Nuer community who did not feel secure where they were. A car was sent to my uncle’s house to collect my family and take them to the UN compound.

Although they were safe there, I did not feel like this would last. I decided to secure transport for them to travel to Juba, where they stayed for two days before leaving for Kakuma refugee camp where they are currently.

I speak to them regularly and they are coping. Of course it was not our plan to be in camps but we have no choice. Sometimes you are forced to make hard choices. If it was not for my Dinka uncle, I’m not sure if my family would have survived.