07/12/2025
: How Culture Contributed to the Custom Market Tragedy - Examining The Strategic Security Questions. Episode2
By Waakhe Simon Wudu
Juba, 7th Dec. 2025 - One of the underlying problems that might have fueled the unstoppable blaze at Custom Market that occurred on 1st Dec. 2025 was, unfortunately, rooted within a broader aspect of what I would like to describe as a 'negative social norm' or a 'culture of lawlessness' among many South Sudanese.
It is a painful truth, yet one that must be spoken. Many South Sudanese often resist order. We despise open spaces, mistrust anything that looks empty, and instinctively believe that any unoccupied area is a free, useless, and wasted space unless someone rushes to claim it. For the sake of understanding this article, I describe this culture as a 'negative social norm' or a 'culture of lawlessness.'
This article specifically examines how the South Sudanese cultural tendency of disregarding law and order acted as a silent factor that fanned the flames, how it distorted policy implementation, undermined the original design of the market, and ultimately emerged as a significant catalyst in the outbreak of the uncontrolled tragedy.
Information suggests that the Custom Market was originally demarcated with beautifully clear pathways and structured streets, intentionally designed to allow smooth commercial movement. These paths were spacious - wide enough for trucks transporting goods, traders restocking their shops, and consumers carrying home their purchases. It was a market planned with foresight, logic, and safety.
It is evident that upon entering the market, the shops are arranged in deliberate rows, with clear pathways designed to ease movement and enhance commerce. Yet the persistent failure to respect these established layout policies has reduced the space into a maze of disorder, making the market appear chaotic and painfully unorganized.
Erected in makeshift structures using iron sheets and timbers rather than durable materials like concrete blocks or reinforced constructions shows that it's a temporary marketplace - an area not intended for permanent structures. However, what must be clearly understood is how the reality on the ground gradually drifted from this original intention. Over time, structures emerged that contradicted the temporary nature the market was meant to uphold, leading to a setup far more than what was planned or designed.
Immediately after the allocation of shops, a troubling pattern emerged. Traders began invading the verandas. Makeshift extensions of carpets, tarpaulins, and rusty iron sheets quickly appeared, stretching out like wild wings over the walkways. Goods spilled beyond shop boundaries, choked the space, and swallowed the very paths meant to keep the market functional. Before long, the organized layout dissolved into a maze. Streets became corridors of congestion.
Worse still, vendors intentionally paraded their merchandise directly along the roads: heaps of greens, sacks of groundnuts, fish, second-hand clothes, shoes, and every item imaginable. Traders refused to specifically use the shops but preferred the open spaces, which, unfortunately, are the pathways in the markets meant for easy transportation of goods and services, not sales. Some streets became taxi parks. What was meant to be a market with order slowly transformed into a giant, overcrowded storage yard. Even motorbikes and rickshaws struggled to maneuver through the chaos.
Security-wise, this arrangement was a ticking time bomb. So when the fire erupted, it was no shock to hear that fire brigade trucks could not pe*****te the burning market - even when they finally appeared. How could they pass? Which shop could they demolish just to carve a path toward the flames? These are not ordinary questions; they are strategic security concerns that must be addressed whenever markets like Custom Market are being established.
It should be noted that this phenomenon cuts across most major markets in Juba. For example, talk of Konyo-Konyo, Suk Libya, Kuburi Habuba, and others. Several of these markets have already experienced similar fire outbreaks. Evidence and past experience reveal that fire brigade trucks or water trucks often struggle to intervene swiftly, finding it difficult to access these congested areas in time to extinguish the flames, largely due to narrow pathways, and overcrowded stalls that severely hinder emergency response efforts.
All the above is rooted in 'negative social norm' or a 'culture of lawlessness' among South Sudanese - resisting law and order, despising open spaces, mistrusting anything that looks empty, and instinctively believing that any unoccupied area is a free, useless, and wasted space unless someone rushes to claim it for whatever purpose.
Unfortunately, policy implementers fell into the same cultural trap. Driven by sympathy or political correctness, they allowed vendors to occupy streets simply because they were 'hustling to feed their families.' The crucial security requirement - that streets must remain clear for emergencies was pushed aside.
This problem reflects a larger national habit: South Sudan possesses good laws and regulations, yet the failure to enforce them makes the country appear almost stateless. Until we confront this cultural tendency to ignore rules, tragedies like the Custom Market blaze will continue to haunt us.
Calibration
I must emphasize that embracing empty public spaces designated by the government is essential for orderly development and community safety. These open areas, being streets especially in markets, are not wasted spaces; they serve as vital buffers for emergencies, others for future infrastructure, and public recreation. When citizens respect and protect these spaces, cities grow in a planned, sustainable manner. Occupying or encroaching on them creates congestion, heightens risks during disasters, and undermines long-term development goals for the entire community.
Therefore, the path ahead demands firm action and unwavering commitment. Government policies, regulations, and laws must not remain decorative documents tucked away in offices. They must be actively enforced without hesitation or selective application. Any individual, group, or institution that intentionally sabotages or obstructs the implementation of public regulations must be held fully accountable. Such offenders should be investigated, charged, and sentenced according to the law, without fear, favour, or compromise.
Additionally, enforcement agencies must be empowered with the authority and resources necessary to carry out their duties effectively. Public awareness campaigns should also be intensified to ensure citizens understand the importance of respecting regulations designed for collective safety and order. Only through consistent enforcement, responsible leadership, and civic cooperation can we prevent the chaos, losses, and tragedies that result from unchecked lawlessness.
While South Sudanese must be good citizens; embrace a culture of respecting law and order, the government has a critical role in guiding them. Like a parent teaching a child, authorities must clearly demonstrate the correct path, enforcing rules consistently and showing by example the right way to follow. Only through patient guidance, consistent enforcement, and civic education can citizens gradually internalize these principles and fully adapt to a society governed by law.
Otherwise, such a culture of 'negative social norm' or 'lawlessness' becomes a serious security issue, directly threatening human life and livelihoods. In security studies, it falls under the concept of 'human security' - a framework that emerged in the contemporary world after security scholars recognized that security extends beyond mere state protection. Human security emphasizes safeguarding individuals from disasters, violence, neglect, and societal instability, highlighting the need for policies that protect people’s safety and well-being in everyday life.
The author of this article, Waakhe Simon Wudu, is a South Sudanese journalist and a student of Strategic Security Studies.
