South Sudan is the world's youngest country, amid its tumult the Mundari people who would rather get on with doing what they do best: looking after their cattle.
The Mundari have no taste for war and "their guns are not to kill anyone but to protect their herd." All the Mundari want to do is take care of their livestock, he argues, "and they will protect them at all costs."
"The ongoing war in South Sudan has cut off the Mundari tribe from the rest of the world,"
They don't venture into the town, they stay in the bush, and it's why their unique way of life endures."
Such raids have been deadly for the Mundari, but the effects of war are manifold. Landmines make finding fresh pasture a dangerous lottery. When he visited, Zaidi says the tribe were using a small island in the Nile as a safe haven. The conflict, he adds, has the paradoxical effect of preserving their way of life."
Rustlers are a huge issue for them". "Their cattle are a form of currency and status symbol, and form a key part of a family's pension or dowry. Since the end of the civil war, thousands of men have returned to South Sudan looking for wives, which has pushed up the 'bride price', making these animals even more precious and increasing lethal cattle raids."
Each bovine is so highly prized that it is rarely killed for its meat. Instead, it is a walking larder, a pharmacy, a dowry, even a friend. It is clear that cow is a resource maintaining not just a people, but a way of life.
The Mundari sleep among their cattle, "literally two feet away from their favorites", and guard them at the point of a gun. It's not unreasonable for the tribe to go to these lengths.
These cows grow up to eight feet tall, and are worth as much as $500 each. It's no wonder the Mundari view these animals as their most valuable assets (or that they guard them with with machine guns).
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