Quest for Diesel

A week ago, we (the MCC car sharing quartet) decided it was time to get some diesel. In Canada when I make a decision like this I stop at the nearest pump, stick in my credit card, move the nozzle in the appropriate ways and then return to my vehicle all gassed up and ready to go. These days in Southern Sudan, the process is a lot more complicated…

Down to about a quarter tank combined between the two tanks in our vehicle, it was time to take action.

Background info: Rumbek gets most of its fuel from the northern part of Sudan. About a month ago, the North closed its borders and stopped shipping fuel, food and all other goods to the South. Shortly after that decision, the situation in Abyei exploded but that is another story. No fuel from the North means no fuel in Rumbek, sort of. We headed off to the market to check out the 2 or 3 stations that are usually operating there. No fuel at any of them. But there were a few guys sitting around at one of the sites so Kaitlyn got out to chat. Conversation apparently went like this:

Kaitlyn: Do you have any fuel?

Guys: No

Kaitlyn: Are you sure?

Guys after some delay to assess the situation: Sit down.

Many phone calls and discussions and then: We still don't have any fuel, please give us your number and we'll call you if we get some.

One hour later:

Guy: We have some fuel, it's ridiculously expensive. Do you want it? Tell me right now.

Kaitlyn: Yes

Guy: OK, come to the station immediately. If you don't come right now we will sell it to somebody else.

So off Heather and I go in a search for this rumoured illicit fuel. We arrive at the station and the guys explain that the fuel isn't there. There is no fuel on this side of town (general motioning to the east). We have to go to the other side of town. (general motioning to the west) In climb three Darfurian guys and off we go. I've noticed that many people around here don't use left and right when giving directions. This can make directions, especially coming from the back of a vehicle with a language barrier, difficult to understand.


Eventually we made our turns and arrived to the outside of a non-descript bamboo fenced compound. The entry was complicated by the huge tree branch inexplicably placed in the alley in front of their gate but we made it in and pulled up next to an old, battered Datsun pick up with 4 200L barrels of diesel in the back.

Next problem: How to move a 200L barrel of diesel without any tools for assistance. 200L of diesel is really heavy (I suppose a little more than 200kg with the barrel thrown in). We strained and struggled. Then I suggested our tanks were mostly empty and that siphoning some gas directly into the tanks would make the job easier. They had a hose and things were looking pretty good. But apparently these purveyors of diesel and petrol don't know how to siphon fuel….OK neither do I, but I'm not in the fuel business. Not that they didn't try. Two different guys filled their mouths with diesel before they admitted defeat and we went back to plan A. Siphoning experts out there, please feel free to add your comments on the proper technique. The barrel we were siphoning from was higher than the tank. Seemed to me it should have worked. I think their problem may have been with getting pockets of air in the hose…



So, we gathered every male on the compound (4) and one willing female and heaved until we eventually had the barrel lying on it's side in the back of our vehicle. Great, except that the cap was loose and there was diesel streaming on to the floor of our Landcruiser. A couple of rocks, a couple of random metal vehicle parts, some empty plastic containers and more heaving and we had the barrel propped up a bit so that the diesel only spilled out when we hit a bump. Roads in Rumbek are bumpy….

As we were ready to begin the maneuvers required to exit the premises, guy number 5 appeared and not with joy on his face. I have no idea what he was saying, but he clearly wasn't in agreement with the current position of one of his drums of diesel within our vehicle. I assessed the situation, quietly moved to our back door, and locked the vehicle in case that might somehow prevent them from removing our hard earned prize. Heather was apparently examining the bamboo fence looking for weak points we could bust through, like the true action heroes that we clearly are. A few of the women motioned for us to just go which we might have done if it were so simple, but we were wedged between a tree and the Datsun, and with a very tight turn to avoid the branch on the way out. Eventually we did begin those motions while the guys continued their argument. As we were getting aligned for our move out the gate, something suddenly became clear, and guy number 5 walked up to our window with a smile on his face and announced "Mafi mushkala" (Arabic = no problem). Our best guess is that it finally registered with him the ridiculous amount we were paying. This theory was supported by his next action. As we were through the gate and getting on our way, he ran after us. "Would you like to buy another drum?" Ummm…no I think this will be quite enough for us today.


Even this was not the end of our adventure, but in the interest of saving time and space let me summarize the rest of it quickly. We had to return the empty drum by the end of the day. 120 or so litres went into our tanks directly. The other 80 had to be pumped into a 20L jerry can, a 10L jerry can, about 4 5L milk tins, 2 3L cookie containers, a 2L seed tin, and a plastic bucket that probably took another 5. And the fun continues. As the fuel is burned we set up our funnel and hose and empty another cookie or milk container back into the tank. In these containers, food for us has been replaced by food for our insatiable Landcruiser.



When the fuel crisis hits Canada 100 years from now, we'll be ready!