Identifying the commander amongst the mishmash of uniforms that made up the southern rebel army during the years of Sudan’s vicious North-South war was easiest done by finding the man with a large grey and black Thuraya satellite telephone in his hand. A North-South peace deal in 2005 ended the war and allowed for a semi-autonomous southern Sudanese government headed up by the former rebel party. The same army elite are now ministers and governors; internationally recognized as in charge of the vast wilderness of the South and the garrison towns that formerly eluded them. The Thurayas were indispensable, not only for military communication in the bush but also to mark sites with GPS coordinates. A +88216 number for the UAE company phones is still usual on government business cards. Although satellite telephones are rarely switched on in towns and have no reception inside the new offices, this is not
