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by Amara Lumen (Author)
In July 2016, Juba taught a hard lesson about how quickly ordinary life can disappear. On South Sudan's Independence Day, gunfire erupted, and for twenty-one days the capital became a place where sleep was shallow, food was counted, and every sound carried meaning. Inside a compound under siege, a doctor and her two trusted staff had only one reliable strategy: stay steady, stay together, and keep choosing hope.
21 Days in Juba: A Doctor's Story of Loyalty, War, and Stubborn Hope is a true-to-life memoir inspired by the author's experience as a humanitarian doctor. After surviving being shot in Afghanistan, she arrived in South Sudan believing the danger would be less. Instead, she entered a crisis that tested not only endurance, but moral clarity on how to lead, how to protect others, and how to keep serving when fear is everywhere.
While many organizations suspended operations, her team continued working by training health workers, supporting hospitals, and refusing to abandon the people who still needed care. In Juba, two staff stayed behind to shield her, hiding her from armed men as the city collapsed around them. At night, they shared cups of hot water beneath a sky full of stars, held by loyalty, memory, and the stubborn decision to last one more day.
