Africa-Press – South-Sudan. One of the underlying problems that might have fueled the blaze at the Custom Market on 1 December 2025 is, unfortunately, rooted within what I would 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 about. Many South Sudanese often resist order. We instinctively believe that any unoccupied area is a free, useless, and wasted space.
This article specifically examines how the South Sudanese tendency of disregarding law 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 tragedy.
Information suggests that the Custom Market was originally demarcated with clear pathways and streets to allow smooth movement. These paths were 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.
The shops are arranged in rows, with clear pathways to ease movement and enhance commerce. Yet the persistent failure to respect these layout policies has reduced the space to a maze of disorder, making the market appear chaotic and painfully disorganized.
Makeshift structures erected using iron sheets and timber, rather than durable materials like concrete blocks or reinforced constructions, show that it is a temporary marketplace. 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 original market design.
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 paraded their merchandise along the roads: heaps of greens, sacks of groundnuts, fish, second-hand clothes, shoes, and every item imaginable. Traders refused to use the shops but preferred the open the spaces meant to ease the movement of goods and services. 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 penetrate the burning market. How could they pass? Which shop could they demolish just to carve a path toward the flames? These are not ordinary questions; they are security concerns that must be addressed whenever markets are being established.
It should be noted that this phenomenon cuts across most major markets in Juba, like Konyo-Konyo, Suk Libya, and Kuburi Habuba. Several of these markets have already experienced similar fire outbreaks. Evidence and experience reveal that fire brigade trucks or water trucks often struggle to access these congested areas in time to extinguish the flames.
All the above are rooted in the ‘negative social norm’ or a ‘culture of lawlessness’ among South Sudanese – resisting law and order, disrespecting open spaces, and instinctively believing that any unoccupied area is a free, useless, and wasted space.
Unfortunately, policy implementers fall into the same cultural trap. Driven by sympathy or political correctness, they allow vendors to occupy streets simply because they were ‘hustling to feed their families’. The crucial security requirement – that streets must remain clear for emergencies- is pushed aside.
This problem reflects a larger national habit: South Sudan possesses good laws, yet the failure to enforce them makes the country appear almost stateless. Until we confront this tendency to ignore rules, tragedies like the Custom Market blaze will continue to haunt us.
I must emphasize that respecting empty public spaces designated by the government is essential for orderly development and community safety. These open areas, 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 enforced without hesitation or selective application. Any individual, group, or institution that 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, favor, or compromise.
Additionally, the enforcement agencies must be empowered with the authority and resources to carry out their duties. 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 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.
A culture of “negative social norm” or “awlessness” 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 after 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 writer, Waakhe Simon Wudu, is a South Sudanese journalist and a student of Strategic Security Studies. He can be reached via [email protected]
The views expressed in ‘opinion’ articles published by Radio Tamazuj are solely those of the writer. The veracity of any claims made is the responsibility of the author, not Radio Tamazuj.
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