Bor South County, Jonglei State

DEMOGRAPHY

2008 NBS Census population: 221,106
2021 NBS PES population estimate*: 160,878
2022 UN OCHA population estimate*: 340,261

Ethnic groups: Dinka Bor (Gok: Hol, Palek, Koc and Abiei/Abii; Athooc/Athoc: Angakuei, Koc Anyeer, Pahuyiei, Juet, Abuoudit Alian))

Displacement Figures Q3 2022: 80,587 IDPs (+51,524 Q1 2020) and 36,214 returnees (-14,903 Q1 2020)

IPC Food Security: November 2022 – Crisis (Phase 3); IPC Projections: December 2022 to March 2023 – Crisis (Phase 3); April to July 2023 – Crisis (Phase 3)

ECONOMY & LIVELIHOODS

Bor South County (often referred to as ‘Bor County’) is situated in the south-western corner of Jonglei State and borders Twic East and Uror to the north, Pibor to the east, Lafon (Eastern Equatoria) and Terekeka (Central Equatoria) to the south, and Awerial (Lakes) and Yirol East (Lakes) to the west. The White Nile and several tributary rivers flow along the county’s western border. The area immediately around the Nile is characterized by swampy vegetation of papyrus, reeds, Napier/elephant grass and bush scrub. Areas further east are characterized by low flood plains and bush.

The county is a part of the eastern plains, sorghum and cattle livelihood zone (FEWSNET 2018). The county has an agricultural, pastoral, and fishing economy. A 2018 report from FAO and WFP estimated that 45% of the county’s households engage in agriculture, which had increased to 50% by 2021. Gross cereal yields were reported at 0.7 tonnes per hectare in 2021, increasingly to 0.8 tonnes per hectare in 2022 (FAO/WFP 2022; FAO/WFP 2023). The Nile is a major transport artery and natural asset, while the riverine area provides essential pasture for cattle and fishing supplements livelihoods in the dry season. Livestock normally move towards the Nile from February to April and return to homesteads from May to June. The main crops grown are sorghum, maize, groundnuts and cowpeas.

Bor is a major market, with access to Juba and Malakal via the Nile River, with the recently tarmacked highway between Juba and Bor easing travel and trade. The market in Bor Town is supplied primarily by the Juba-Bor highway, though has been affected by periodic insecurity along parts of the road.

Food insecurity has been a challenge for Bor County, as well as Jonglei as a whole, compounded by the financial crisis, adverse weather and conflict in the area. IPC projections for Bor South County are at Crisis levels (IPC Phase 3) of food insecurity as of November 2022, and are project to remain at Crisis levels until at least July 2023. Under normal conditions floods are the main hazard as they can limit fishing activities and reduce crop, livestock, and wild foods production (particularly water lilies). In 2021, widespread flooding in western Jonglei State had a major impact on the county. In the latter portion of the year, the overflow of the Nile River resulted in increases in the flood water levels in Bor, and led to re-displacement of residents who had previously been affected by earlier flooding.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES

The county’s headquarters is located in Bor Town Municipality in Bor Payam. Bor South County hosts Bor Town, which is also the capital of Jonglei State. The county hosts state-level government ministries, as well as other key infrastructure and services that are centralized in the town. The area functions as a municipality, similar to other major towns in South Sudan.

Bor South is home to twelve (12) Early Childhood Development centres, eighty-three (83) primary schools and nineteen (19) secondary schools. Fifteen (15) of the secondary schools are located in Bor Town Payam. John Garang Memorial University is the primary public higher education institution in the state and one of five public universities in the country.

Bor South County was reported to have forty-seven (47) health facilities including thirty-six (36) functional health facilities, among them twenty-two (22) PHCUs, thirteen (13) PHCCs and one (1) hospital in 2022. This means that there were an estimated 0.97 PHCUs per 15,000 people and 1.62 PHCCs per 50,000 people according to the WHO. Bor Town Hospital was reported to be highly functional with nearly two hundred in-patient beds. Bor Teaching Hospital serves the area with the support of humanitarian actors.

Bor Town hosted a UN Protection of Civilian (PoC) site between 2013 and 2020, which primarily hosted Nuer IDPs from across the region. In 2014, the PoC site was attacked by armed youth leading to significant loss of civilian life (UN 2014). In September 2020 UNMISS began to progressively withdraw its troops and police from the Bor PoC site as part of a wider redesignation of PoC sites to become IDP camps under the jurisdiction and protection of the government.

According to OCHA’s 2023 Humanitarian Needs Overview, there are over 215,400 people in the county with humanitarian needs (a noticeable decrease from 283,200 in 2021), which represents approximately 63% of the estimated population reported in the HNO. Of those in need in 2022, over 71,500 were IDPs or returnees.

CONFLICT DYNAMICS

Strategically located along the River Nile, Bor town has been an important outpost since the development of the colonial administration. The town sits on the critical transport corridor between Juba and Jonglei State, with primary roads connecting Bor to primarily Dinka and Nuer areas to the west and north-west of the state, Lou Nuer areas to the north-east, and to the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) to the east. As such, many of the conflicts affecting the area have been driven by national political and security calculations, though national-level conflicts have been increasingly reconfigured along ethnic lines since 1991 (Thomas 2015, p.190).

. Bor town would later be captured by the SPLM/A in 1989, though was recaptured by the government in 1992. In 1991, the Bor area was the site of a massacre following the 1991 SPLM/A split, in which Dr Riek Machar mobilised Nuer community militias alongside his organized forces to briefly take the town in fighting that led to more than 2,000 (predominantly Dinka civilian) fatalities (ICG 2009, p.3). In the aftermath of the 1991 split, more than 25 000 people across the Dinka counties of Jonglei reportedly died due to famine and disease amid widespread displacement, amid widespread displacement to areas further south.

Although Dinka Bor elites continued to exert a significant influence over the SPLM/A in the latter stages of the second Sudanese civil war – and into the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) era (2005-2011) – power was gradually consolidated by Dinka elites from the Bahr el-Ghazal region following John Garang’s death in 2005. This resulted in increasingly visible factionalism between some Dinka elites from south-eastern Jonglei and the Bahr el-Ghazal areas (ICG 2014, pp. 9-10). The relative influence of the Dinka Bor in both local and national politics at the time of the CPA has influenced relations between the Dinka Bor and a number of other communities within Jonglei State and in parts of Central and Eastern Equatoria State, with the dynamics from the CPA era at times being revived in more recent years.

Within Jonglei State, relations between parts of the Dinka Bor community and the neighbouring Murle community of Pibor would experience increasing strains in the CPA era, including instances of raiding and conflict. In November 2007 the conflict would also spill over into a hospital in Bor town, following clashes at nearby cattle camp (Sudan Tribune 2007). Conflict markedly escalated following independence in late 2011 and early 2012, as violence involving parts of the Dinka Bor and Lou Nuer communities against elements of the Murle community affected multiple areas of Jonglei State, notably Pibor County (UNMISS 2012). Political tensions over resources and perceived imbalances in political representation also affected relations between various communities in the state across this period, including the Dinka Bor (Small Arms Survey 2012).

As is discussed further in the profiles for Terekeka County, relations between parts of the Dinka Bor and Mundari communities experienced both periods of improvement as well as deterioration during the CPA era.

After the national conflict began in December 2013, Bor town was almost destroyed by fighting between the SPLA and SPLA-IO (with support from militias from parts of the Nuer community) in late 2013 and early 2014, with hundreds (potentially over two thousand) killed (Small Army Survey 2014). At its peak, the UNMISS PoC site in Bor sheltered more than 6,000 IDPs. Most of those who did not go to the PoC site sought refuge at Mingkaman to the west, the River Nile islands, and neighbouring counties. The ethnic dimensions of the civil war affected displacement choices, with some 85,000 mostly Dinka civilians finding refuge in Mingkaman in Lakes State, and the Nuer residents of Bor Town seeking safety with UNMISS. In April 2014, Bor youth mobilized against displaced Nuer living in the PoC site, breaching the perimeter and killing at least 53 people according to an UNMISS/HRD report (2015, p.22). After re-capturing Bor, the SPLA and Ugandan soldiers pushed north into Twic East and beyond. Relative stability since returned to the county and Bor town has been rebuilt. It remains a key market town, and has gradually regained its pre-war strength, helped by the tarmacking of the road between Bor and Juba.

Bor South County borders the GPAA, and in recent years several areas of the county have been affected by large cattle raids and ambushes, which are often attributed to Murle militias. The tendency to attribute attacks in and around Jonglei to the Murle is discussed further in the profile for Pibor County, along with the effects of such generalisations for the Murle community at large. In October 2015, 30 people were killed in Jalle Payam during an attack reportedly conducted by Murle from Pibor. In 2020 and 2021, some Dinka Bor communities allegedly participated in large-scale subnational violence in Jonglei. While Duk and Twic East communities were reportedly involved in the fighting, Bor South was used as a staging and mobilizing area with support from communities. An UNMISS/OHCHR report noted the involvement of political-security elites in Bor enabling the attack, resupply and retreat, as well as support from other parts of the government security apparatus to Murle forces in Pibor (UNMISS/OHCHR 2021, pp. 10-11).

Despite the conflicts between parts of the Dinka Bor and Murle communities, there is also a relationship of cooperation between Bor South and the GPAA with crucial market linkages and social ties, especially around Anyidi. As such, even though Dinka Bor elements were alleged to have participated in the attacks into Pibor, Murle communities displaced to Anyidi for security. There have also been attempts at peacefully resolving conflicts between the communities.

Significant setbacks include the killing of seven Murle traders were killed in Bor town in an alleged reprisal attack in November 2021 (Radio Tamazuj 2021), and conflict in Baidit Payam in January 2022 that killed 38 people (Eye Radio 2022). Large-scale clashes involving youth from Bor South County resumed in GPAA in December 2022 and January 2023, and are discussed further in the profile for Pibor.

As the state capital of Jonglei, Bor town also hosts the State Transitional Legislative Assembly, and is the seat of the state executive. Recent demonstrations directed towards the Governor and State Government have been held relating to the non-payment of civil servant salaries and, in April 2023, some residents of Bor (including female market vendors who had been evicted from land granted to them) protested against the appointment of a county commissioner who was seen as controversial(Craze 2023; Eye Radio 2023).

In recent years, internal conflict has affected parts of the leadership of both the Pentecostal Church and the Episcopal Church in Bor town and its suburbs. In 2018, recurrent tensions within the Pentecostal Church resulted the temporary closure of the church in Bor (Radio Tamazuj 2018). Meanwhile, since 2020 the Episcopal Church has been affected by unrest and periodic violence linked to a dispute among parts of the local leadership. This included an incident allegedly involving gunfire in January 2022 (Radio Tamazuj 2022), and clashes between supporters of two diocese in the Langbar neighbourhood in July 2023 (Radio Tamazuj 2023).

ADMINISTRATION & LOGISTICS

Payams: Bor (County Headquarters – Bor Town administered as Municipal Council), Anyidi, Baidit, Jalle, Kolnyang, Makuach

UN OCHA 2020 map of Bor South County: https://reliefweb.int/map/south-sudan/south-sudan-bor-south-county-reference-map-march-2020

Roads:

• A primary road which runs southwards from Bor town to Juba was open in both the rainy season and dry seasons of 2022 and 2023, respectively.
• A primary road runs eastwards from Bor to Pibor town, which was deemed impassable by the Logistics Cluster in the rainy season of 2022. However, the road was designated as being passable during the dry season of 2023.
• A primary road runs north from Bor to Canal town (in Canal/Pigi County) via Ayod County, though the road was deemed impassable up until the junction at Ayod County in both the rainy season of 2022 and dry season of 2023. The condition of the remaining parts of the road running north from the junction are unknown.
• A primary road running north-east to Akobo town (via Gadiang) was also deemed impassable during the rainy season of 2022, and passable with difficulty only between Bor and Gadiang in the dry season of 2023, with the remainder of the road deemed impassable.
• Road security – In 2023 there have been a significant number of humanitarian convoys being intercepted and looted by unknown armed groups whilst travelling in the Gadiang area. Separately, there have been intermittent reports of insecurity along parts of the Bor-Juba highway.
• Bor is also located along the River Nile, which is an important riverine transport route to Malakal and Unity State. Barges beginning their journeys in Bor, brought supplies as far north as Renk and delivered goods via the Bahr Az Zeraf, Canal Corridor and Sabat River as well as throughout the White Nile. Note that movement through the River Nile in Upper Nile State has been impaired following fighting involving SPLM-IO Kitgweng forces and allied militia since the summer of 2022, alongside unpredictable troop movements in the state.

UNHAS-Recognized Heli-Landing Sites and Airstrips: Bor Town

REFERENCES

Civilians in Conflict. (2021). Civilian Perspectives on the future of UNMISS. Retrieved 17 July 2023.

Craze, J. (2023). A Pause Not a Peace: Conflict in Jonglei and the GPAA. Small Arms Survey/HSBA. Retrieved 17 July 2023

Eye Radio. (2022). Peace Commission calls for deployment of forces in greater Jonglei. Retrieved 27 September 2023.

Eye Radio. (2023). Bor residents protest Ateny Pech appointment as commissioner. Retrieved 27 September 2023.

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.

ICG. (2009). Jonglei’s Tribal Conflicts: Countering Insecurity in South Sudan. Retrieved 27 September 2023.

ICG. (2014). South Sudan: Jonglei – “We Have Always Been at War”. Retrieved 17 July 2023 .

ICG. (2021). South Sudan’s Other War: Resolving the Insurgency in Equatoria. Retrieved 25 September 2023.

IRNA. (2021). Low Profile Flood Assessment: Bor County, 23 September 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2023.

Radio Tamazuj. (2018). Pentecostal church in Bor town closed over leadership wrangle. Retrieved 12 January 2024.

Radio Tamazuj. (2021). Jonglei State investigates Bor revenge killings. Retrieved 27 September 2023.

Radio Tamazuj. (2022). ECSS bishop says he survived an assassination attempt in Bor. Retrieved 12 January 2024.

Radio Tamazuj. (2023). ECSS leadership dispute leads to altercation: 27 individuals arrested. Retrieved 12 January 2024.

Small Arms Survey. (2012). My neighbour, my enemy: Inter-tribal violence in Jonglei. Retrieved 12 March 2024.

Sudan Tribune. (2007).MSF guard among dead in south Sudan tribal violence Retrieved 12 January 2024.

Thomas, E. (2015). South Sudan: A Slow Liberation. London: Zed Books.

2023. (2014). Attack on Civilians in Bentiu and Bor. Retrieved 17 July 2023.

UNMISS/HRD. (2015). Attacks on Civilians in Bentiu & Bor April 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2024.

UNMISS/OHCHR. (2021). Armed Violence Involving Community-Based Militia in Greater Jonglei: January-August 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2023.

Young, J. (2012). The Fate of Sudan: The Origins and Consequences of a Flawed Peace Process. London: Zed Books.

REPORTS on BOR SOUTH

Beswick, S. (2004). Sudan’s Blood Memory: The Legacy of War, Ethnicity, and Slavery in South Sudan. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press.

Craze, J. (2023). A Pause Not a Peace: Conflict in Jonglei and the GPAA. Small Arms Survey/HSBA. Retrieved 17 July 2023.

Gordon, R. (2014). In the eye of the storm: An analysis of internal conflict in South Sudan’s Jonglei State. Retrieved 17 July 2023.

ICG. (2014). .

Johnston, R. T. (1934). The Religious and Spiritual Beliefs of the Bor Dinka. Retrieved 17 July 2023.

IOM. (2020). South Sudan Village Assessment Survey – Wau, Rubkona and Bor South. Retrieved 17 July 2023.

Opara, J. A., John, A. K., & Sempewo, J. (2016). Environmental health efficiency and urbanization: The case solid waste management in Bor municipality of South Sudan. International Journal of Bioinformatics and Biological Science, 4(1), 19-33. Retrieved 17 July 2023.

Quist, A. (2022). Human Security Survey: Summary findings from Jonglei State, South Sudan. PAX. Retrieved 17 July 2023.

Small Arms Survey. (2014). The Conflict in Jonglei State. Retrieved 17 July 2023.

Tuttle, B. (2018). Play, childhood, and playthings in Bor, South Sudan, 2009–2010. International Journal of Play, 7 (2), 161–187. Retrieved 17 July 2023.

UNMISS. (2012). Incidents of Inter-Communal Violence in Jonglei State. Retrieved 17 July 2023.

* 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.