Gogrial West County, Warrap State

DEMOGRAPHY

2008 Census population: 243,921

2020 Population projection*: 314,363

Ethnic groups and languages: Rek Dinka (Aguok, Kuach, Awan-Chan, Awan-Mou)

Displacement Figures: 41,914 IDPs and 20,162 returnees (Q1 2020)

January 2020 IPC Projections: January 2020 – Crisis (Phase 3); February to April 2020 – Crisis (Phase 3); May to July – Emergency (Phase 4)

ECONOMY & LIVELIHOODS

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

The county falls under the western floodplain sorghum and cattle livelihoods zone (FEWSNET 2018). Gogrial West is primarily constituted of flat grasslands. High water table and swamps areas in the county are good for raising livestock but can make access difficult, particularly in the rainy season. Two rivers cross through Gogrial West: River Jur flows north through the county before turning east through Gogrial East, and the River Lol(l) flows across the northern part of Gogrial West from Northern Bahr el Ghazal. The majority of communities in Gogrial West are agro-pastoralist, engaged in animal husbandry (37%), subsistence farming (37%), and fishing (22%) (IOM 2013). A more recent report from FAO and WFP (2018) estimates that 80% of households engage in agriculture. Planting is conducted during the rainy season and the main crops are maize, sorghum, sesame, groundnuts, vegetables and millet. Pastoralists throughout the State migrate during the dry season, in search of water in various parts of the northeastern and eastern Warrap State. While Gogrial West is not as affected by water and migration disputes as its northern and eastern neighbors, periodic fighting between its Aguok Dinka community and the Apuk Dinka community in Gogrial East (recently over grazing lands by the River Nyinagoth which is surrounded by land fertile for agriculture) has disrupted livelihoods in the past.

A REACH assessment in 2019 found that 79% of assessed settlements were impacted by the price increases of staples such as cereal, which in turn decreased access to food for local communities (REACH, 2019a). A REACH (2018) assessment from the previous year documented decreasing harvest yields in the county, as well as decreasing rates of access to cattle. Family members that do not join cattle migrations, such as children and the elderly, were more reliant on wild foods to supplement their diets. Furthermore, a reduction of household assets and food supplies meant that more families were dependent on the market to support their family, however this was also a challenge due to inflation. Insecurity in terms of livelihoods have been exacerbated by unusual rainfall patterns for cultivators, as well as unusual migration patterns of livestock for cattle herders during displacement can expose them to more diseases. For families that supplement their diets with milk from cattle, increased livestock disease, or having to sell cattle in order to generate income, may limit the ability of the household to use this as a coping mechanism when food insecurity is heightened. IDPs that flee to the area, including from Gogrial East, have often had their homes and crops destroyed, and thus rely on the infrastructure and services of the host community. In early 2020, IPC projections estimate that it is at the same level, with increases to Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels occurring by mid-year.

Kuajok is the main market for both the county and Warrap State, however in recent years inflation has caused goods in the market to become unaffordable for many residents. Before independence, Warrap State traditionally depended on food surpluses from Abyei, but security conditions since have disrupted food supplies from the north. Supplies from Rumbek and Juba are also vulnerable to internal conflict, seasonal flooding, and poor road conditions. All three challenges have limited market access and imperiled food security in recent years.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES

Gogrial West hosts Warrap State’s capital, Kuajok, and the county headquarters is in Gogrial Town. Many primary healthcare units were damaged in 2017 due to insecurity, which has weakened the local healthcare infrastructure. Water sources are limited in the county, and are often shared with livestock, potentially contributing to the spread of disease (REACH, 2019a; REACH, 2019b).

OCHA’s Humanitarian Needs Overview for 2020 estimated that 172,900 people had significant humanitarian needs in Gogrial West, placing immense pressure on local infrastructure and services. This figure represents 55% of the estimated population for the county reported in the HNO. The county is one of fourteen counties in South Sudan with the highest level (“extreme”) of GBV needs. A measles outbreak in 2019 led to a vaccination campaign implemented by UNICEF. A REACH assessment in 2017 found that 53% of assessed settlements had observed higher death rates than usual, and 47% reported that cholera and diarrhea were the primary health issue facing their household.

CONFLICT DYNAMICS

Gogrial West County is home to President Salva Kiir and Warrap State, as a whole, was not among the states most affected by the civil war. It remained under the control of the SPLA/M for the duration of the conflict.

The main conflict drivers in the county are border and land disputes, cattle raiding, and competition over water with communities from Gogrial East. In 2013, the Gogrial Agreement was reached between Twic, Aweil East, Aweil South and Gogrial West. The agreement aimed to reduce tensions over access to water sources and grazing land for cattle. Clashes between opposing Dinka communities from Gogrial East (Apuk) and Gogrial West (Aguok) Counties, over grazing rights around the River Nyinagoth were occurring as early as 2009, where it led to the displacement of 12,000 people. Subsequent clashes between the communities have also been observed in 2015, when security forces, including SPLA troops were subsequently deployed between the two counties. According to an IRNA conducted that year, houses were burned during these clashes, some villages were deserted, livestock were looted or killed, and schools were either destroyed or occupied by IDPs. In 2017, further clashes created an influx of IDPs, creating increased pressure on local infrastructure and resources.

Historically, northern Warrap State has also been affected by disputes concerning the Abyei border. Abyei border disputes displaced of thousands in 2008-2009, with hundreds of refugees from Abyei settling temporarily in Gogrial West. In September 2015, delegations of the Dinka community from Gogrial West and Twic joined those from the Abyei area and Misseriya of Sudan in Aweil for a consultative conference. The dialogue aimed to restore the relationship with the Arab Misseriya (Awald Kamil) of South Kordofan, Sudan and the Dinka Rek and Dinka Twic of Warrap State, and has eased tensions between the groups.

ADMINISTRATION & LOGISTICS

Payams: Gogrial (County Headquarters), Alek South, Alek North, Alek West, Kuac North, Kuac South, Akon, Akon North, Riau
Roads:

• The capital Kuajok is connected by an all-weather road that runs north-south from Wau in Western Bahr el Ghazal to Abyei and Mayom in Unity State. The road was open during the dry season in 2019, however it was marked with a “road warning” during the rainy season by the Logistics Cluster.
• A road connects Kuajok to Luonyaker in Gogrial East, however seasonal conditions are unknown.

UNHAS-recognised Heli and Fixed-Wing Airplane Airstrips: Kuajok and Alek

REFERENCES

FAO & WFP. (2018). Special Report: FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission to South Sudan. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/3/ca3643EN/ca3643en.pdf

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

IOM. (2013). Village Assessment Survey: County Atlas. Retrieved from https://iomsouthsudan.org/tracking/sites/default/publicfiles/documents/Warrap_GogrialWest_Atlas.pdf

REACH. (2019a). South Sudan – Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL). Assessment of Hard-to-Reach Areas in South Sudan. Retrieved from https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/reach_ssd_factsheet_assessment_of_hard-to-reach_areas_fsl_may_2019.pdf

REACH. (2019b). Situation Overview: Greater Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan. January – March 2019. Retrieved from https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/reach_ssd_situation_overview_gbeg_january_-_march_2019.pdf

REACH. (2018). Gogrial West, Twic and Mayom Counties Food Security and Livelihoods Profile. South Sudan, October, 2018. Retrieved from https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/reach_ssd_profile_gogrialsmayom_ra_05122018.pdf

REPORTS on GOGRIAL WEST

IOM. (2013). Village Assessment Survey: County Atlas. Retrieved from https://iomsouthsudan.org/tracking/sites/default/publicfiles/documents/Warrap_GogrialWest_Atlas.pdf

Lawry, L., et al. (2017). A mixed methods assessment of barriers to maternal, newborn and child health in Gogrial West, South Sudan. Reproductive Health 14(12) .