October 25, 2011 (KAMPALA) – The commissioner of Twic East in Jonglei has called for South Sudan’s central government to help repair a 6 kilometre (4 mile) section of damaged road that has disconnected the county’s headquarters from the rest of Jonglei state.
Car sinks on Jalle – Maar road while returning from Panyagor, Twic East county, Jonglei state, South Sudan. August 14, 2011 (ST)In an email to Sudan Tribune, commissioner Dau Akoi Jurkuch describes the road as ‘completely dilapidated,’ adding that trade and delivery of services by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been stopped.
“Both passenger and commercial vehicles ended their journey in Pawel [leaving it] up to the passengers and businessmen to seek alternatives of reaching and delivering goods and services [to] Panyagor,” Akoi said.
Panyagor is the administrative headquarters of Twic East county.
Road transport is closed in Jonglei state during the rainy seasons as roads become flooded and are often badly damaged, so even after the water recedes, the roads are still impassable
Travelers from Juba, the capital of South Sudan, can only reach Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, using planes at this time of the year. Poor infrastructure is one of the main challenges facing South Sudan as it adjusts to the independence it achieved in July as part of a 2005 peace deal with north Sudan.
Authorities often blame slow reaction of security forces to cattle raids on poor transport.
In Twic East, where much of the population is resettling after displacement during the two decades of civil war, most items including food are imported. Health clinics are run by NGOs and livelihoods depend on businessmen. All these activities, according to the commissioner’s letter, have ceased due to the impassable section of the road between Pawel Payam (district), 6km south of Panyagor.
“Goods and services could not be delivered because of a completely dilapidated 6km stretch [from] Pawel in the last four months. Twic East county Headquarter is disconnected from the rest of county and other counties in the state,” Akoi said.
The county leader called the government of South Sudan “to assist in improving both the main and feeder roads” in the county, to enable the “delivery of services to every citizen.”
In photographs sent to Sudan Tribune, cars can be seen completely stuck in thick mud. In parts of the road where water has submerged the road, water can be seen reaching up to the driver’s waist.
Twic East county is the home of the late John Garang, the leader of former rebels – the Sudan’s People Liberation Movement (SPLM) – that won secession for the South Sudan through a 2005 peace deal that ended two decades of civil war.
Garang died in a 2005 helicopter crash shortly after becoming the vice president of Sudan and president of Southern Sudan.
(ST)
Please see below the full letter from the commissioner to Sudan Tribune.
Twic East commissioner letter regarding poor roads and floods.
