Jonglei County leader wants peace preached

By Philip Thon Aleu

July 28, 2009 (BOR TOWN) – Commissioner of Jonglei’s Pigi County, formerly known as Khorfulus, pledged to end “tribal conflict” that had halted development during the last four years of peace by “preaching peace” and showing progressive development.

Pigi, one of the 11 Counties in Jonglei State, South Sudan have been experiencing dispute among its citizens over the names of the county. The different is settled last May but fruits of the peace signed between the two communities are yet to materialize.

Formerly called Canal County , Pigi is the new name of the County adopted this year in a peace conference held earlier this year in Malakal. Canal was considered as a foreign name. Pigi is the official and indigenous name.

Commissioner Santino Riak Athian – who replaced James Yor Chol in the July 3, 2009 council reshuffling, further underscored poor roads, health and academics improvement as priorities in his action plan. Santino Riak made the remarks in an interview with the Sudan Tribune and Juba Post reporters on Friday July 24 in Bor Town.

The newly appointed leader said he would use opportunity provided by peace and reconciliation accord signed between the two communities of Atar and Khorfulus, in the northern County to achieve his goals.

“We had been in the tribal conflict for the last four years… (and) we did not make any kind of development. But now that we (Atar and Khorfulus) have agreed to have one county and one commissioner, it is therefore my first priority to make the security situation much better”, Mr. Athian said.

The commissioner said the number of force police in the country has been increased in order to better maintain peace and security in the area. “By increasing police forces – currently 90 personals stationed in Atar and Khorfulus at 45 officers each, security will improve in the area,” he said.

The implementation of lasting peace and development in the county remains a big challenge because the area is inaccessible by land during rainy season from state capital Bor Town. River Nile is the only smooth and reliable transport mean all-year.

But for the Commissioner Raik Athain “this will not stop us from progressing (if wrangles cease) by preaching peace to our community.”

POOR HEALTH CENTERS NEED MUCH ATTENTION

Commissioner Riak also complained about the lack of health care center describing the situation as “not pleasing” and promised new efforts to get-well. There are no primary health care centers, he said. He added that all killer-diseases are not being vaccinated or immunized in Pigi,

Even the untrained mid-wives facilitate births and pregnant women lack tetanus vaccination, he said to illustrate the difficult situation in the areas of essential drugs and training.

“This needs much attention,” he added.

According to the commissioner, till this moment the residents there still drink stagnant water of rain in the pools.

In the commissioner’s strategy, education, telecommunication and road network in Pigi are the plan he has to tackle. Asked on the time frame on which he may complete his strategies, Riak stated that “it depends on the available budget.”

He said that lack of budget is seen as the main challenge toward his planning in the County.

Slow implementation of policies and dependence on national budget – since locally collected taxes are either mismanaged or insufficient, it’s feared that any leader’s action plans in Jonglei State would be difficult to implement.

(ST)