English: Dungu in the far north of the Democratic Republic of Congo borders on the Central African Republic and the south of Sudan. There are no government troops there since the local people asked them to leave two years ago. The infamous Lord’s Resistance Army is in the area, they crisscross the notional borders in the area attacking villages, kidnapping looting and killing. I was there to see what UNICEF needs to do to help. We stayed in sleepy Dungu meeting with local authorities and peace keepers.

In the early mornings I managed to make some time to visit. Dungu is pretty much cut off from the rest of the Congo, in the dry season it takes three to five weeks by truck from the nearest town, longer in the wet season. A small plane or two run by NGOs or missionaries come by in the week. The town itself is collection of huts under the mango trees strung out along a river. As in many such areas mud huts rub up against crumbling colonial brickwork interspersed with electricity pylons that have long since lost their cables.

I was not expecting the castle. A neo-medieval brick pile looming out of the mist over the river eaten up by the jungle. An old man collecting wood in the overgrown courtyard said that it had been the residence of the colonial Administrator and his first secretary. I waded through the dew wet grasses and went in, or rather I hesitated wondering what was in this hulk and then went in; It was a Walt Disney sleeping beauty’s castle, stripped bare, empty except for birds and bats.