Open dangers

Many people in the Juba area are armed and fire their weapons without warning if they feel offended, Liao said.

Theft and robbery are also common in the area. On a rainy night in May, someone broke into Liao's dormitory, which is located near a refugee camp, and stole two of her laptops and a briefcase.

She said she walked out of the bathroom after taking a shower, to find a safety screen on her dormitory window broken and her desk in disarray.

Liao said it was lucky that she didn't have to confront the burglar, who may have been armed.

She said she often heard gunshots in the area. In June, Liao witnessed a bullet hitting the house of her Indian neighbor who was drinking coffee at the time. "I felt like I was a moving target, having no idea when and where a bullet may travel toward me. The scenario that I lived through during that period was like a movie," she said.