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FORMER paratrooper Captain Levison Wood has had to abandon part of the route on his bid to walk the entire length of the Nile – after he waded into a war zone.
The 31-year-old embarked on his epic journey in December so he could become the first recorded person to walk 4,250 miles from the river's source in Rwanda to Egypt where it meets the sea.
Since then, he has already covered more than 1,200 miles and navigated through three central African countries.
Levison, who comes from Forsbrook, has already been robbed and hunted by poachers, has suffered near starvation and has had to cope the tragic death of a colleague.
Now his journey has come to a halt in South Sudan, where he has been forced to abandon 450 miles of the route.
His 61-year-old father, Levison Wood Snr, from Forsbrook, said: "He's been on the frontline in Iraq and Afghanistan and has never seen anything like this.
"He was there when they were killing people, it was quite traumatic. He's had no choice but to abandon that part of the trek."
South Sudan, which only came into existence in July 2011, has been thrown into chaos by a long-running civil conflict between two tribes, the Dinka, who hold power of government, and the Neur.
Writing in a journal he is keeping of his expedition, Captain Wood said: "Upon our arrival in Bor, I knew I was in a war zone. I was apprehended and arrested by a heavily armed 'soldier'.
"Taken before the governor's representatives, the local commander told me politely, but in no uncertain terms, now was not a good time to be in Bor and my presence was not welcome.
"The town itself has been destroyed by the war. In the outskirts, entire villages had been burnt to the ground, looted and abandoned. Destroyed tanks littered the side of the road like rusting hulks and the smell of death and decay is everywhere. Mass graves had been the only way to bury those killed, and a weeping lay preacher showed me where 17 members of the clergy had been murdered.
"At dusk, I witnessed at firsthand the battle of Bor. The sky was suddenly lit up by tracer fire, heavy machine guns rattled in the streets and the dull thump of mortar rounds shook the ground. Reports detailed around 60 people had been shot and hacked to death during the attack.
"It was plainly obvious any attempt to continue my journey further north would be foolish and stupid. My two nights in that hellish place was enough for me."
