fence to road where they rrrrioted
Early this evening there was a riot! Right on the road of my compound! You could hear the sound of a big crowd – it must have been huge, because although they were moving down the street the noise didn’t cease for a long time: it was a steady flow. People were shouting, roaring even, and banging on fences. Well that’s what I thought. My neighbour thought it was gun shots.
But she has malaria at the moment. I was mucking around in the kitchen and it was only after about 10 minutes of this racket that I decided to peer out of the window (couldn’t see a thing). That was when she flung open the door of her flat and ran out into the main hall way and dead locked the front door. Turning and backing up against it, she asked me, flushed and sweating, if I’d heard those gun shots. I am sure that what we heard wasn’t that bad, but did have to concede that it wasn’t really just a bang on a fence; more like something big and heavy ramming the fence.
Still, the fence on our side of the street is still standing. And it’s pouring with rain now, so everyone would have calmed down and gone home. (When there are serious tribal fights, there are strict rules: you only fight between say 8am and 4pm; you’ve got to have a bit of time to prepare, and outside of those times it’s too hard to see and therefore not fair.)
I shouldn’t laugh at tonight’s eruption, but even as it was happening it was hard to take seriously; it’s pathetic and inexcusable, but sometimes you’re just not in the mood for dramatic melees. This time last year I know there were big riots in town; shops closed down and people stayed indoors for at least three days. The police and mobile squad could do nothing. The shell service station near where I live was raided and robbed, and mobs of people roamed the streets attacking businesses owned by people from a certain province – it was a cross-provincial fight. It’ll be interesting to hear tomorrow what stories start going around about this one.
But she has malaria at the moment. I was mucking around in the kitchen and it was only after about 10 minutes of this racket that I decided to peer out of the window (couldn’t see a thing). That was when she flung open the door of her flat and ran out into the main hall way and dead locked the front door. Turning and backing up against it, she asked me, flushed and sweating, if I’d heard those gun shots. I am sure that what we heard wasn’t that bad, but did have to concede that it wasn’t really just a bang on a fence; more like something big and heavy ramming the fence.
Still, the fence on our side of the street is still standing. And it’s pouring with rain now, so everyone would have calmed down and gone home. (When there are serious tribal fights, there are strict rules: you only fight between say 8am and 4pm; you’ve got to have a bit of time to prepare, and outside of those times it’s too hard to see and therefore not fair.)
I shouldn’t laugh at tonight’s eruption, but even as it was happening it was hard to take seriously; it’s pathetic and inexcusable, but sometimes you’re just not in the mood for dramatic melees. This time last year I know there were big riots in town; shops closed down and people stayed indoors for at least three days. The police and mobile squad could do nothing. The shell service station near where I live was raided and robbed, and mobs of people roamed the streets attacking businesses owned by people from a certain province – it was a cross-provincial fight. It’ll be interesting to hear tomorrow what stories start going around about this one.
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