Aweil Centre, Northern Bahr el-Ghazal State

Demographics

2008 NBS Census population: 41,827

2021 NBS PES population estimate*: 124,989

2022 UN OCHA population estimate*: 76,117

2024 UN OCHA population estimate*: 124,989

2024 IPC population estimate: 78,400

2025 UN OCHA population estimate*: 78,958

Ethnic groups: Luo/‘Jur Chol’**; Dinka Malual

Displacement Figures as of September 2024: 6,672 IDPs (-24,90 Sept. 2023) and 14,980 returnees (+10,028 Sept. 2023)

IPC Food Security: November 2024 – Crisis (Phase 3); IPC Projections: December 2024 to March 2025 – Crisis (Phase 3); April to July 2025 – Crisis (Phase 3)

Economy & Livelihoods

Aweil Centre County is located in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal State. It borders Aweil West County to the north, Aweil East to the north-east, and Aweil South County to the east. It also borders Western Bahr el-Ghazal State (Raja, Wau and Jur River Counties) to the west and south.

The northern part of the county falls under the western flood plains sorghum and cattle livelihoods zone, whereas the southern parts of the county fall under the western plains groundnuts, sesame and sorghum livelihoods zone (FEWSNET 2018). The area around Aroyo town falls under the western iron stone plateau (USAID 2007), with quarrying underway in the area, reportedly for material to be used in the construction of infrastructure projects. The Small Arms Survey (2024, p.4) has reported local tensions linked to the quarry. Aweil Centre features a relatively low population density compared to other counties such as Aweil East (WFP 2018). According to a 2013 IOM assessment, 34% of residents engage in farming, 30% livestock rearing and 23% fishing for their livelihoods. A more recent study by FAO and WFP (2018) estimates that up to 60% of households engage in farming, which remained the case in 2021. Gross cereal yields in the county were put at 0.9 tonnes per hectare in 2021 (FAO/WFP 2022), decreasing to 0.8 tonnes per hectare in 2022 (FAO/WFP 2023).

While Luo are engaging predominately in farming, Dinka are mostly agro-pastoralists. The main crops are sorghum, groundnut, sesame, maize, cow peas and vegetables (okra, potatoes, tomatoes etc.). The Aweil Rice Scheme, initiated during the colonial period, was negatively affected by the second Sudanese civil war and attempts to re-build it after 2005 have had limited success. Some households also reportedly grow tobacco, as well as produce honey and shea butter, with the latter two sometimes supported with funding from humanitarian groups.

Aweil Centre is also rich in natural forestry resources including timber and bamboo, but little research has been conducted as to how best to harness them. Many residents reportedly lack necessary equipment, such as saws, to benefit from these potential revenue sources. On the other hand, exploitation of timber resources also presents environmental concerns. Hunting and sale of bush meat is reportedly common in Aweil Centre, although wildlife conservation authorities have attempted to crack down on this practice by bringing perpetrators to court.

The economy of Aweil Centre – and Northern Bahr el-Ghazal more broadly – has undergone a major transformation towards markets and commercialisation of labour over the past decades (Kindersley and Majok 2019). This structural economic transformation – alongside flooding, pests and intermittent border closures – partly explains why food insecurity has continued to be a challenge for Northern Bahr el-Ghazal State despite its relative stability. Aweil Centre County was classified as being at Crisis (IPC Phase 3) levels of food insecurity in November 2024, and is projected there until at least July 2025.

Infrastructure & Services

Aroyo Payam serves as the county’s headquarters. The town of Aweil is the capital of Northern Bahr el-Ghazal State and falls on the border of Aweil Centre, Aweil West and Aweil East Counties. Disagreement had previously arisen over the precise county boundaries in part due to competition over the right of county governments to tax and govern populations within the disputed area. This resulted in a decision to administer Aweil Town as a separate administrative area governed by a municipal council instead of county governments. Despite this, several maps – including the UN OCHA map on which these county profiles are based – erroneously place Aweil Town in Aweil West County. With the exception of Aweil town, Aweil Centre has limited mobile phone coverage.

Similar to much of Northern Bahr el-Ghazal State, Aweil Centre County’s infrastructure and services are not sufficient for the local population. In the post-CPA era, accessibility to the county has been limited due to the poor conditions of roads, particularly during the rainy season. While Aweil Centre has not been impacted as much by the national level of conflict compared to other parts of the country, the closure of the border to Sudan – alongside the (limited) presence of government and opposition groups in the area – impeded trade routes in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal State during the recent civil war. This reduced the availability of goods in the market, increased prices of staples to unaffordable levels, and exacerbated food insecurity

Aweil Centre is home to one (1) Early Childhood Development centre, one hundred and nine (109) primary schools, and twenty-three (23) secondary schools including the all-girls Salva Kiir Girls Secondary.

In December 2024, the WHO reported that Aweil Centre County had twenty-three (23) health facilities, of which sixteen (16) were functional. These functional facilities included twelve (12) primary health care units (PHCUs), four (4) primary health care centres (PHCCs), and no hospitals. This means there were approximately 2.28 PHCUs per 15,000 people and 2.53 PHCCs per 50,000 people in the county at that time. Of those facilities that were reported to be functional, 50% were reported to have limited functionality. In 2020, OCHA identified the need for healthcare services to be at “catastrophic” levels in Aweil Centre, which was among the nine counties with most severe health-related needs.

According to OCHA’s 2025 Humanitarian Needs Overview, there are an estimated 45,600 people in need in Aweil Centre County, which represents approximately 58% of the county’s total population reported by OCHA for 2025. For comparison, in 2024, OCHA reported that there were an estimated 77,307 people in need in Aweil Centre County, of whom 41,547 were non-displaced people, with the remainder comprising IDPs and returnees. According to OCHA’s Humanitarian Needs Overview for 2023, over 56,000 people in the county had humanitarian needs (up from 51,900 in 2021). This was equivalent to approximately 73% of the estimated population for Aweil Centre County reported in the HNO that year. Limited infrastructure has made the local population vulnerable; 54% of assessed settlements were able to safely access drinking water, according to a REACH assessment from December 2018. Additionally, 54% were able to access a borehole, whereas 17% relied on rivers or streams. Only 18% of the assessed settlements had access to a latrine and 93% reported defecating in the bush. While the county has not been historically prone to flooding, in 2019 and again in 2021, unusually heavy rainfalls that impacted many parts of South Sudan also led to internal displacement within Aweil Centre County.

Conflict Dynamics

Much of present-day Aweil Centre County was relatively insulated from the violent raiding that took place during the early years of the second Sudanese civil war (1983-2005), involving armed groups of pro-government pastoralists from parts of the Misseriya and Rizeigat communities (known locally as murahalin). A detailed narrative of these events – and their effects on cross-border relations – can be found in the profile for Aweil North County. However, the area hosted people and cattle who had been displaced from areas closer to the border ((Mawson 1991). Moreover, areas to the south of Aweil town along the transport corridor to Wau – which passes through the far east of the county – were affected by skirmishes between SPLM/A and government forces during the conflict (Burr and Colins 1995, p.48; Nyaba 2002, p.64).

Following recommendations made at the 2003 Greater Aweil Dialogue that a predominantly Luo county be established in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal State (PACT 2003, p.30,36), Aweil Centre County was created in 2006 from the southern half of Aweil West County (IOM 2009, p.10). Relations between the Luo and the Dinka Malual have been generally positive and characterised by close relations and intermarriage, which have mitigated minor conflicts over resources. However, local informants suggest that perceptions of marginalisation in relation to other counties exist within Aweil Centre with regards to accessing state resources.

Although the Rizeigat community who migrate with their cattle into Northern Bahr e-Ghazal customarily graze in Aweil North and West counties, some Rizeigat pastoralists periodically cross into parts of Aweil Centre County (Concordis International 2012, p.20,23). This has been linked to occasional tensions, including in the Aroyo area to the north-west of the county (Radio Tamazuj 2013), though neither the scale of the migration nor accompanying tensions are comparable to those that have sometimes affected areas closer to the border with Sudan. However, as noted below, tensions have manifested between some local residents and Fulani (‘Fallata’) pastoralists who have seasonally migrated to parts of the county from Western Bahr el-Ghazal State since 2005.

As with most areas of Northern Bahr el-Ghazal, Aweil Centre experienced relatively limited direct effects during much of the national conflict (2013-2018). However, the county was affected by opposition activity relating to a group of SPLA defectors from Western Bahr el-Ghazal. In July 2014 around 200 opposition fighters moved through the county on their way to Darfur, reportedly looting civilian homes and facilities, including a medical clinic in Awada Payam. A number of people were reportedly killed in Aweil Centre, while residents of affected villages were displaced to Aroyo Payam (Small Arms Survey 2014, p.3; VOA 2014). In July 2015, media reporting indicated SPLA-IO forces attacked and briefly overran the county headquarters at Aroyo (Eye Radio 2015; Radio Tamazuj 2015). In the latter stages of the national conflict, Aweil Centre was affected by the shift to the 28/32 states system between late 2015 and early 2020. The change in administrative system was associated with a reported increase in disputes relating to both county and payam boundaries in the county. However the reversion to the 10 states system in February 2020 – alongside a series of local peace dialogues – helped resolve the disputes (Saferworld 2020, p.2).

Following practices that emerged during the second civil war, the county continued to host displaced persons from other areas in the 2010s. During the national conflict, IDPs from Western Bahr el-Ghazal State – including from the Wau area and also Raja County’s Deim Zubier – sought sanctuary in Aweil Centre (Radio Tamazuj 2016; REACH 2018). More recently, IDPs from Abyei have been displaced to Aweil Centre in the wake of the conflict between parts of the Twic and Ngok Dinka communities, which is discussed further in the profiles for Twic County and the Abyei Administrative Area (Radio Tamazuj 2022a).

In recent years, Aweil Centre has been affected by issues such as land grabbing, tensions surrounding the use of water points, and conflicts between agriculturalists (including from the Luo community) and pastoralists (including from the Fulani community) over the alleged destruction of crops by cattle (Saferworld 2020, p.1; Radio Tamazuj 2022b). A 2021 peace conference established a peace committee to address issues that arise between the Luo, Dinka Malual, and Fulani (Radio Tamazuj 2021a). A follow-up peace conference (which also included representatives from the Rizeigat) took place in July 2023, amid heightened tensions among pastoralist communities relating to the spread of cattle disease in the county (Radio Tamazuj 2023a). However, the following month elements of the Luo community reportedly instructed the Fulani community to vacate the county, alleging that provisions of the 2021 peace conference relating to the destruction of food sources were being breached, and that the Fulani community were not integrating with residents of the area. This was disputed by a representative of the Fulani community, though the representative stated that the Fulani would honour the wishes of the Luo community and leave the area (Radio Tamazuj 2023c). Separately, at the start of 2023 localised conflict escalated among parts of the Luo community of Aweil Centre and Jur River counties at Bhar Mayen to the far south-east of Aweil Centre, drawing in security forces (Radio Tamazuj 2023c).

Due to pressure from drought and the conflict that began in Sudan in April 2023, some Sudanese pastoralists have recently attempted to migrate with their cattle into Northern Bahr el-Ghazal without prior agreement from local communities, and before a customary pre-migration conference had taken place. This led to some communities from Aweil North and Aweil Centre counties to reject the arrival of Rizeigat pastoralists to their areas, raising the possibility of further tensions (Majok 2024, p.13; The Radio Community 2023).

As noted above, the status of Aweil town has been associated with disputes between Aweil Centre, South and West counties. Local sources indicate that the decision to administer Aweil town as a municipality has been met with both acceptance and resistance, though the degree of resistance in Aweil Centre is reportedly lower than in some other areas. However, tensions among traditional authorities were reported in 2021 following a decision to incorporate parts of Aweil Centre into the municipal administration (Radio Tamazuj 2021b). A number of tensions relating to former and current opposition movements have also affected the county, including alleged tensions between some local authorities and members of the SPLA-IO that have increased during political events (Sudans Post 2022; Sudan Tribune 2022; The Radio Community 2022a). Additionally, a number of arrests have been made of individuals who are allegedly connected to South Sudan United Front/Army (an opposition group established by Paul Malong in 2018) in the county in recent years (Small Arms Survey 2024, p.5)

Administration & Logistics 

Payams listed in Government and UN documents: Aroyo (County Headquarters), Abul, Achanna, Bhar Mayen, Chel South, Nyalath.

Additional payams listed by local actors: Awada

UN OCHA 2020 map of Aweil Centre County: https://reliefweb.int/map/south-sudan/south-sudan-aweil-centre-county-reference-map-march-2020

Roads:

• A primary road from runs south of Aweil town to Wau (in Western Bahr-el Ghazal State) via Aweil Centre. The road was deemed passable during both the rainy season of 2024 and dry season of 2025.

• Tertiary roads run south and west out of Aroyo town. Seasonal conditions of these roads are unknown.

• Secondary roads run north and east out of Aroyo town. Seasonal conditions of these roads are unknown.

UNHAS-recognised Heli and Fixed-Wing Airplane Airstrips: Aweil

References

Burr, J.M. and Collins, R.O. (1995). Requiem For the Sudan: War, Drought, And Disaster Relief on the Nile. Boulder, CO.: Westview Press.

Concordis International. (2012). Crossing The Line: Transhumance In Transition Along the Sudan- South Sudan Border October 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2023.

Eye Radio. (2015). Aweil residents flee amid attack. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

FAO/WFP. (2023). Special Report: FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission to South Sudan. Retrieved 31 July 2023. See equivalent versions of the CFSAM report online for data from previous years.

FEWSNET. (2018). Livelihoods Zone Map and Descriptions for the Republic of South Sudan (Updated). Retrieved 10 July 2023.

IOM. (2009). State Report Northern Bahr el Ghazal: Village Assessments and Returnee Monitoring Analytical Report, Maps and Statistical Tables 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

IOM. (2013). Village Assessment Survey: County Atlas. Retrieved 3 August 2023.

Juba Monitor. (2022). Misseriya peace talks suspended in Aweil. Retrieved via Wayback Machine 18 July 2023.

Kindersley, N. and Majok, J. (2019). Monetized Livelihoods and Militarized Labour in South Sudan’s Borderlands. Rift Valley Institute. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Majok, J. (2024). War and the Borderland: Northern Bahr el-Ghazal during the Sudan conflict. Rift Valley Institute/XCEPT. Retrieved 31 March 2024.

Mawson, A. (1991). ‘Murahaleen Raids on the Dinka, 1985-89’, Disasters, 15 (2), pp.137-149. Retrieved 22 February 2024.

Nyaba, P.A. (2002). Report on the Trade Consultancy Conducted in Northern Bahr el Ghazal. Save the Children UK. Retrieved via the Sudan Open Archive 4 March 2024.

OCHA. (2021). Humanitarian Needs Overview: South Sudan 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2023.

PACT. (2003). Greater Aweil Dialogue, Wanyjok 8 June 2003. Retrieved via the Sudan Open Archive 4 March 2024.

Radio Tamazuj. (2013). Aroyo authorities urge Rizegat cattlemen to go home. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

Radio Tamazuj. (2015). Northern Bahr el Ghazal officials visit Aroyo after rebels attack. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

Radio Tamazuj. (2016). Dozens flee to Aweil after clashes in Western Bahr el Ghazal. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

Radio Tamazuj. (2021a). N. Bahr el Ghazal communities commit to peace during cattle migration. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

Radio Tamazuj. (2021b). 21 Aweil chiefs arrested after opposing land annexation plan – community leader. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

Radio Tamazuj. (2022a). IDPs from Abyei in dire need of aid in Aweil Centre. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

Radio Tamazuj. (2022b). Aweil Center residents decry limited water points. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

Radio Tamazuj. (2023a). Rival communities hold peace conference in Aweil. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

Radio Tamazuj. (2023b). Aweil Center County community expels Fallata cattle keepers. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

Radio Tamazuj. (2023c). Aweil Center police detain 2 suspects after deadly clashes. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

REACH. (2018). South Sudan: Deim Zubier Rapid Displacement Brief – Raja County, Western Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan, April 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

Small Arms Survey. (2014). The Conflict in Northern and Western Bahr el-Ghazal States. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Small Arms Survey. (2024). Dominance without Legitimacy: Tong Akeen Ngor’s Reign in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State. Retrieved 18 June 2024.

Sudans Post. (2022). SPLM-IO minister beaten in Northern Bahr el Ghazal. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

Sudan Tribune. (2022). SPLM-IO accuses military intelligence of arresting members in Aweil. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

The Radio Community. (2022a). SPLM-IO accuses Aweil Centre Commissioner of intimidation, restricting political activities. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

The Radio Community. (2022b). 22 SSPDF soldiers arrested while “mobilizing” for Malong’s SSUF/A. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

The Radio Community. (2023). NBGS rejects unscheduled return of Reizegat cattle. Retrieved 31 March 2024.

USAID. (2007). South Sudan Food Security Update With inputs from Concern, OXFAM, HARD and SC-UK – August 2007. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

VOA, Voice of America. (2014). Death Toll Rises in New South Sudan Fighting. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

Reports on Aweil Centre

IOM. (2023). Disability and Inclusion Survey: Aweil South County, Northern Bahr El Ghazal – Data Collection Period: July to August 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2025.

IOM. (2013). Village Assessment Survey: County Atlas. Retrieved 3 August 2023.

IOM. (2009). State Report Northern Bahr el Ghazal. Village Assessments and Returnee Monitoring: Analytical Report, Maps and Statistical Tables. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Kindersley, N. and Majok, J.D. (2020). COVID-19 in South Sudan’s Borderlands A view from Northern Bahr el-Ghazal. Rift Valley Institute. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Kindersley, N. and Majok, J.D. (2020). Breaking Out of the Borderlands: Understanding migrant pathways from Northern Bahr el-Ghazal, South Sudan. Rift Valley Institute. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Kindersley, N. and Majok, J.D. (2022). ‘Class, cash and control in the South Sudan and Darfur borderlands’, Third World Thematics: A TWQ Journal 7 (4-6), pp. 283-306. Retrieved 28 February 2024.

Kindersley, N. (2018). Politics, power and chiefship in famine and war: A study of the former Northern Bahr el-Ghazal state, South Sudan. Rift Valley Institute. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

Majok, J. D. (2021). War, Migration and Work – Agricultural labour and cross-border migration from Northern Bahr el-Ghazal, South Sudan. Rift Valley Institute. Rift Valley Institute. Retrieved 18 July 2023.

REACH. (2022). South Sudan Food Security Crisis: Aweil Centre County – Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL), Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, January 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.

Saferworld. (2020). Community Security Assessment: Aweil Centre, South Sudan (May 2020). Retrieved 4 March 2024.

* Note: The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Population Estimation Survey (PES) was published in April 2023 based on data collected in May-June 2021. This uses a different method to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Population Working Group (PWG) figures produced based on a combination of 2008 census data and population movement data up to 2022. The large discrepancies are primarily attributable to these different methods rather than changes in the actual population numbers over time and have been disputed by some civil society and analysts. Although the later PWG figures were produced more recently for the HNO 2023, at the request of the Government of South Sudan the data and method used by the PES is being used as the basis for the Common Operational Dataset (COD) for the UN system for the HNO 2024 and likely beyond. For further detail on this and other sources used in the county profiles, see the accompanying Methodological Note.

** Note: The exonym Jur Chol is widely felt by the Luo of Bahr el Ghazal to be pejorative.