Koch County, Unity State

Demographics

2008 NBS Census population: 74,863

2021 NBS PES population estimate*: 55,477

2022 UN OCHA population estimate*: 98,851

2024 UN OCHA population estimate*: 55,478

2024 IPC population estimate: 101,817

2025 UN OCHA population estimate*: 115,158

Ethnic groups: Jagey/Jagei Nuer

Displacement Figures as of September 2024: 24,942 IDPs (7,536 Sept. 2023) and 30,414 returnees (+17,958 Sept. 2023)

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

Economy & Livelihoods

Koch County is located in Unity State. It borders Mayom County to the north-west, Rubkona County to the north, Guity County to the north-east and Mayendit County to the south. It also borders Jonglei State (Fangak and Ayod Counties) to the east and Warrap State (Tonj North County) to the west. The River Nile flows northwards along the county’s eastern border with Jonglei State.

The eastern half of Koch County belongs to the Nile-Sobat Rivers livelihood zone and western half falls under the Western Flood Plains zone. Koch County mainly consists of flat floodplains with a mix of savannah grassland, bushes and forest. In western Koch, the soil is mostly black clay, with black cotton soil dominating the eastern region of the county. Both types of soil are suitable for cultivating a variety of crops.

The main crops cultivated are maize, sorghum, groundnuts, cowpeas, beans, millet, and pumpkin. Many families also maintain subsistence vegetable gardens in the dry season, growing kudhura, okra, onion, tomatoes, and eggplant. Sorghum is the staple crop in most areas, except for the payams of Koch and Buaw, where maize is the primary staple. An estimated 45% of households in Koch County engaged in farming, with a gross cereal yield of 0.85 tonnes per hectare in 2021 (FAO/WFP 2022), decreasing to 0.8 tonnes per hectare in 2022 (FAO/WFP 2023). Some residents also gather wild fruits and vegetables (amaranths, spider flower, moringa leaves, etc.) and fish to supplement their diets. Trade in firewood, charcoal, grass, milk and brewing alcohol were also reported as key supplementary livelihood activities.

Koch County was considered one of the most food insecure counties in the country even before the onset of the 2013 crisis. In a normal year, harvests would reportedly last a household roughly four months with flooding during the rainy season a common impediment to agricultural activities. Following the depletion of household stocks, around June, residents are generally heavily dependent on the market for foodstuffs and basic resources. A FEWSNET report from 2018 noted that due to the lack of cultivation resulting from insecurity, more people were turning to wild foods to supplement their diet during the conflict. This cyclic dynamic has persisted from 2016 to 2020. Since then, humanitarian interventions in the area have alleviated some of the needs that resulted from sustained insecurity in the county. In November 2024, the IPC projected the county as being at crisis (IPC level 3) levels of food insecurity, with conditions projected to persist at the same level until at least July 2025.

In August 2020, Koch County experienced significant flooding affecting up to 11,600 people. Flooding and displacement continued to affect populations throughout 2020, and in 2021 the Emergency Response Coordination Centre named Koch as a flood-affected county along with six other Unity State counties.

Infrastructure & Services

The county HQ is located in Koch town in Kuachlual Payam. Systemic insecurity has compounded a lack of development; the poor quality of roods in the county, particularly during the rainy season, has created constant access issues, with some parts of the county completely isolated during periods of heavy rain.

Koch County is an oil-producing part of Unity State. Its main oil field, Thar Jath (which also straddles part of Mayendit) began production in late 2006. By 2013 the field was producing up to 10,000 barrels of oil per day, according to the South Sudanese government. However, many locals say they have not seen the financial benefits of this oil wealth. Likely owing to the importance of oil to the national economy, the area is heavily militarised and there is a large SPLA base in Thar Jath. Additionally, oil pollution has contaminated both the land and water in the area.

Koch is home to one (1) Early Childhood Development centre, fifty-five (55) primary schools, and five (5) secondary schools. Schools have been impacted by successive rounds of conflict and a shortage of teachers given many younger men were afraid of being recruited and fled from Koch to Bentiu PoC or other areas for safety.

In December 2024, the WHO reported that Koch County had fourteen (14) health facilities, of which seven (7) were functional. These functional facilities included three (3) primary health care units (PHCUs), four (4) primary health care centres (PHCCs), and no (0) hospitals. This means there were approximately 0.39 PHCUs per 15,000 people and 1.74 PHCCs per 50,000 people in the county at that time. A hospital which was funded by an oil company was shut down in 2012, limiting healthcare services in the county to PHCU and PHCC level services in recent years.

According to OCHA’s 2025 Humanitarian Needs Overview, there are an estimated 78,131 people in need in Koch County, which represents approximately 68% of the county’s total population reported by OCHA for 2025. For comparison, in 2024, OCHA reported that there were an estimated 68,946 people in need in Koch County, of whom 26,665 were non-displaced people, with the remainder comprising IDPs and returnees. According to OCHA’s Humanitarian Needs Overview for 2023, Koch County had 80,099 people with humanitarian needs (up from 67,400 in 2021), which was equivalent to approximately 81% of the total projected population of Koch County reported in the HNO that year. In 2021 OCHA identified Koch as one of six counties falling into the catastrophic category of GBV risk based on nationwide FSMNS+ assessment data.

Conflict Dynamics

Given its location in the middle of Unity State, Koch has served as a frontline between competing political factions and community-based armed groups, and functions as a key strategic oil-producing area, with the oil field at Thar Jath (a.k.a. Ryer) in north-eastern Koch being a site of contestation and displacement. Divisions among parts of the Nuer community of Unity State have been exacerbated across decades of militarisation and factionalism, with leadership power struggles often linked to external support from competing government and opposition forces. Incidents of cattle raiding in Koch were tied to macro-level political conflicts during the Sudanese and South Sudanese civil wars, with armed youth from Koch County periodically acting as proxies for the different parties to the conflict.

During the second Sudanese civil war (1983-2005), Koch was an important theatre of conflict between the South Sudan Defence Forces (SSDF) factions aligned to the Sudanese government in the late 1990s, with conflict being overlaid onto existing rivalries and (often loose) alliances between elements of the Nuer community from northern Unity (comprising the Bul, Western Jikany, and Lek/Leek Nuer clans) and from southern Unity (the Dok, Jagey, Haak, and Nyuong Nuer clans) (Johnson 2009).** The Thar Jath oil field had been depopulated by the Sudanese government in 1998, with a faction of the SSDF under the command of Paulino Matip forcibly clearing the area, before allegedly engaging in a series of attacks and cattle raids against parts of the Jagey Nuer community (Rone 2003, pp.191-193). However, in May 1999 an SSDF faction controlled by Riek Machar drove out government forces and Matip’s forces from Thar Jath, which was soon recovered and thereafter held as a government garrison town. The attack by Machar’s forces resulted in the suspension of oil production, which would resume only in 2006 after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the subsequent Juba Declaration (which brought Matip’s forces into the SPLM/A-led government in Juba). Fighting among SSDF factions and splinter groups continued in the region into the early 2000s, and violence re-escalated in Koch after May 2010 when a local Jagey Nuer commander defected following a dispute relating to the previous month’s elections. The commander was killed in unclear circumstances whilst awaiting integration into the SPLA the following year (ICG 2011, p.12). Cattle raiding between parts of the Jagey Nuer and their northern neighbours (including the Bul Nuer community of Mayom County) also continued prior to the outbreak of the national conflict (2013-2018).

Koch County was the site of serious fighting between government and opposition forces following the outbreak of civil war in 2013. Significant troop movement and engagements were reported during multiple offensives and counter-offensives in 2014 and 2015, with the government being supported by militias from Mayom County during the 2015 offensive into southern Unity, who also raided cattle from the Jagey Nuer during the fighting (UN OHCHR 2016). Although Koch (particularly rural areas) was controlled by opposition forces during the early stages of the conflict, in May 2014 the SPLA-IO clashed with Jagey Nuer youths after the youths refused to be disarmed, whilst some youth from Koch were mobilised by the government, including during the government offensive into Leer in July 2015 (Craze et al. 2016, p.89, 99; Small Arms Survey 2021, p.5). Fighting continued in Koch after the initial ARCSS was signed in August 2015. During a government offensive in December 2016, government forces were allegedly supported by former SPLA-IO forces who had joined the government after the fighting in Juba in July 2016 (UNSC 2017). Fighting flared during the negotiations for the R-ARCSS in 2018, and continued after its signing. The Thar Jath oil field was again damaged during fighting in early 2014, and would remain offline for the remainder of the conflict and for several years after the signing of the R-ARCSS. The fighting had devastating consequences for the civilian population as forces from both sides were accused of direct attacks on civilians in Koch, with widespread reports of sexual violence (Protection Cluster 2016; UN OHCHR 2016).

The violence during the national conflict represented a continuation of the politicisation and militarisation of cattle raiding that had emerged during the second civil war, with complex repercussions for intra-Nuer relations within Unity. Raiding increased both between Nuer clans and also within some clans, whilst communities – including those who been raided by government and pro-government forces (including the Jagey Nuer) – were allegedly invited by some authorities to participate in cattle raiding in 2015 against neighbouring communities (Craze et al. 2016, p90). Such allegiances between youth militia and authorities were often opportunistic and focused on local issues – including the acquisition of cattle and/or the relative balance of power within Unity State politics – rather than on national level political aspirations. Control over these armed youth groups was tenuous, making Koch an unstable and inaccessible region for humanitarian groups. In late 2016 or early 2017, raiding was also reported to have occurred along the border with Rubkona County, which was reportedly linked to an existing land and border dispute (UNSC 2017, p.6). Raiding by youth militias in Unity during the national conflict became increasingly associated with sexual violence and the killing of women and children, whilst the theft of cattle has been interpreted as being conducted not only with the intention of benefiting the raiding community, but also to deprive the raided community of the means of social reproduction and to punish perceived political opponents (Felix da Costa et al. 2022, pp. 232-233).

Subnational violence has continued in and around Koch following the signing of the R-ARCSS, building upon fault lines established by the war and the dynamics of the peace process. In early 2021, youth from Koch escalated raiding into Rubkona County, resulting in a clash between the youth and security forces sent into Koch to retrieve cattle in February, killing seven security personnel. The UNSC reported that four villages were allegedly attacked by the SSPDF shortly after the incident (UNSC 2021a, p.4). In October 2021, the SPLA-IO clashed with the Koch County Commissioner’s protection detail at Port Nyaroump, reportedly over the collection of revenues (UNSC 2021b). Following two alleged SSPDF attacks at the SPLA-IO cantonment site at Mirmir in southern Koch in January 2022, heavy fighting broke out between SPLA-IO forces and government forces and allied militia in and around Mirmir in February and April 2022. A joint UNMISS/UN OHCHR report (2022) alleged that youth from the Jagey Nuer community – operating under the command of local authorities – were involved in the initial attack on Mirmir and incursions into northern Leer County. The same forces were alleged to have assisted in repulsing an SPLA-IO operation to retake Mirmir in April 2022, and subsequent attacks deep into Leer in April and May 2022. These incidents led to a significant loss of life, amid widespread civilian displacement and reports of alleged human rights violations (UNMISS/UN OHCHR 2022), and are discussed further in the Leer County profile. Despite the significant scrutiny and sanctions following these events, the UN Panel of Experts (2023, p.14) alleged the forcible recruitment of youth from Koch into the military in December 2022 amid continuing tensions.

Administration & Logistics 

Payams: Kuachlual (County Headquarters), Boaw, Gany, Jaak, Norbor, Ngony, Pakur

UN OCHA 2020 map of Koch County: https://reliefweb.int/map/south-sudan/south-sudan-koch-county-reference-map-march-2020

Roads:

• Koch’s main transport link is a primary road running through the TharJath oil facility and eventually connecting the county to Bentiu (the state capital) to its north and Rupkaui in Mayendit County at its south. The road was deemed impassable during the both the rainy season of 2024 and dry season of 2025. A spur of the road connects to Koch town in the centre of the county; conditions for this road are unknown.

• There is a short secondary road segment near Mir Mir town. This road was deemed impassable during the rainy season of 2024 and the dry season of 2025.

• The river route along the Nile from Bor to northern Unity State passes through the eastern side of Koch County, with the county being served by a port at Nyaroump.

UNHAS-recognized Heli-Landing Sites and Airstrips: Koch and Boaw.

Additional MAF-Recognised Airstrips: Thar Jath, Again and Biir.

References

Craze, J., Tubiana, J., and Grammizi, C. (2016). A State of Disunity: Conflict Dynamics in Unity State, South Sudan, 2013–15. Small Arms Survey/HSBA. Retrieved 6 December 2023.

Eye Radio. (2021). ‘Floods displace over 1,500 in Koch County of Unity State’. Retrieved 16 July 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.

Felix da Costa, D., Pendle, N. and Tubiana, J. (2022). ‘The growing politicisation and militarisation of cattle-raiding among the Western Nuer and Murle during South Sudan’s civil wars’ in Bach, J-N. (ed.) The Routledge Handbook on the Horn of Africa, pp.224-238. Abingdon: Oxfordshire.

FEWSNET. (2018). ‘Livelihoods Zone Map and Descriptions for the Republic of South Sudan (Updated)’. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

ICG. (2011). South Sudan: Compounding Instability in Unity State. Retrieved 6 December 2023.

International Rescue Committee. (2014). ‘Assessment Report: Koch County, Unity State’, 10 Sept 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

Johnson, D. (2009). ‘The Nuer Civil Wars’ in Schlee, G. and Watson, E. (eds) Changing Identifications and Alliances in North-East Africa: Sudan, Uganda and the Ethiopia-Sudan Borderlands (Volume 3), 31-48. Oxford: Berghahn Books.

OCHA. (2021). ‘Humanitarian Needs Overview: South Sudan 2021’. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

Protection Cluster. (2016). ‘Protection Situation in Southern and Central Unity: September-October 2015’. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

Rone, J. (2003). Sudan, Oil, and Human Rights. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 6 December 2023.

Small Arms Survey. (2021). ‘MAAPSS Update 25 March 2021 Unity State: New appointments and developments’. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

UNMISS/UN OHCHR. (2022). Attacks against civilians in southern Unity State, South Sudan February – May 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2023.

UN OHCHR. (2016). Assessment mission by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to improve human rights, accountability, reconciliation and capacity in South Sudan: detailed findings. A/HRC/31/CRP.6. Retrieved 6 December 2023.

UN Panel of Experts. (2023). Final report of the Panel of Experts on South Sudan submitted pursuant to resolution 2633 (2022), S/2023/294. Retrieved 6 December 2023.

UNSC. (2017). Report of the Secretary-General on South Sudan (covering the period from 16 December 2016 to 1 March 2017), S/2017/224. Retrieved 6 December 2023.

UNSC. (2021a). Situation in South Sudan Report of the Secretary-General, S/2021/566. Retrieved 6 December 2023.

UNSC. (2021b). Situation in South Sudan Report of the Secretary-General, S/2021/1015. Retrieved 6 December 2023.

Reports on Koch

Deng, D. (2021). ‘Land Governance and the Conflict in South Sudan’. LSE Conflict Research Programme. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

Human Rights Watch. (2015). ‘“They Burned it All”: Destruction of Villages, Killings, and Sexual Violence in Unity State South Sudan’. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

Hutchinson, S. and Pendle, N. (2015). ‘Violence, legitimacy and prophecy: Nuer struggles with uncertainty in South Sudan’, in American Ethnologist, 42:3, pp.415-430. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

International Crisis Group. (2017). ‘Instruments of Pain (II): Conflict and Famine in South Sudan’. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

Pendle, N. and Wal, G. (2021). ‘Law, War and Returns: Learning from South Sudan’. LSE. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

Pragst, F., et al. (2017). ‘High concentrations of lead and barium in hair of the rural population caused by water pollution in the Thar Jath oilfields in South Sudan’, in Forensic Science International, Vol. 274, pp.99-106. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

UNMISS /OHCHR. (2022). ‘Attacks against civilians in southern Unity State, South Sudan February – May 2022’. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

UNMISS /OHCHR. (2018). ‘Indiscriminate Attacks Against Civilians in Southern Unity, April-May 2018’. Retrieved 16 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.

** Note: Although militia forces active in Unity State during the second civil war were primarily Nuer and (initially) tended to be organised along clan lines, these militias became more fragmented and ethnically diluted as conflict progressed. This resulted in commanders from a specific Nuer clan (e.g. the Bul Nuer) often commanding forces comprising various clans, and after 1999 displaced Southern Sudanese from various ethnicities (including from non-Nuer communities) were conscripted by the Sudanese government in the Greater Khartoum area, and sent to government allies in Unity (Johnson 2009, p.45).