About the client
A Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in 2005 between the Southern People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the central government in Khartoum bringing an unprecedented opportunity for the reconstruction of a region which has been impacted by more than twenty years of conflict.

The South of Sudan is now ready to reappear on the map as a place of business, development and progress. The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) is a multinational peacekeeping operation with a mandate to oversee and safeguard this peace process in Southern Sudan. At the same time, a long-term commitment by the international community to support the reconstruction and rehabilitation process in Southern Sudan has been made and numerous UN agencies, governments, non-governmental organizations and development agencies are already actively involved in the reconstruction of the country.

However, a myriad of logistical problems characteristic for post-conflict environments need to be overcome before the United Nations and other development agencies can successfully deliver projects in the region.

The challenge
As a direct result of civil war, the South of Sudan has suffered from a lack of investments in virtually all areas of industrial, civil and commercial life. Subsequently most of the infrastructure and transportation ways have deteriorated or have been destroyed. Even in Juba, the new capital and commercial hub of the South, a local support infrastructure is virtually non-existent. Furthermore, the lack of supplies, equipment, accommodation, food items, electricity, water and other basic services has hampered the reconstruction process and continues to pose a serious obstacle for many organizations.

The result
RA International was one of the very first organizations to start working in the south of Sudan after the formal end of conflict. A team of analysts was dispatched to the South of Sudan in the beginning of 2005 and immediately realized the potential to support and assist the international community in its efforts to rehabilitate the region. RA International contributes to this challenging task by having actively initiated several key strategic projects which address the most urgent needs of the international community as well as local organizations.

With virtually no supplies and materials available locally, RA found itself in a position where it had to overcome not only tremendous logistical challenges but also very tough climatic conditions. Still at the beginning of 2005, basic infrastructure was virtually non-existent. Roads and bridges had deteriorated; the airport was not equipped to receive cargo shipments, the borders with neighbouring countries were closed and access roads to the northern part of the country were impassable or too dangerous to guarantee regular shipments of goods.

Despite challenging conditions, RA International has successfully implemented a series of infrastructure and support projects. In the end of 2005 the construction of an accommodation compound in Juba was finalized. The new accommodation compound provides rooms for more than 100 people with a standard that did not previously exist in Juba. The compound also offers conference rooms, a bistro, office space and recreational facilities. RA International also offers a portfolio of support services such as generator maintenance, waste management, construction and procurement.

RA International has once again demonstrated that it is able to operate under the most difficult conditions. Thanks to a clear vision, a strong commitment and a great deal of confidence and patience RA International has not only managed to establish a comprehensive support service infrastructure but at the same time has achieved to develop supply chain, logistics and transportation solutions for the South of Sudan which allows for the timely delivery of goods that are essential for the reconstruction of the south.