Manyo County, Upper Nile State

DEMOGRAPHY

2008 Census population: 38,010

2020 Population projection*: 76,283

Ethnic groups and languages: Shilluk/Chollo

Displacement Figures: 10,374 IDPs and 8,354 returnees (Q1 2020)

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

ECONOMY & LIVELIHOODS

Manyo County borders the South Kordofan and White Nile regions of Sudan to the north and west respectively, Renk and Melut Counties to the east, and Fashoda County to the south.

The county is categorized as part of the Northern sorghum and cattle livelihood zone (FEWSNET 2018). The primary livelihood in the area is rain-fed agriculture, supplemented by rearing livestock, fishing, and foraging. The main crops are sorghum and maize, as well as pumpkin, cowpeas, simsim (sesame), okra and other garden vegetables. Better-off households keep cattle, goats and sheep. The White Nile River flows along the Manyo’s eastern border, contributing to several lakes and marshlands throughout the county.

Agriculture and fishing are the main livelihood activities in Manyo County. Most villages are fairly close to the river and all villages reported fish as an important food source, while about 50% of households reported farming as their primary livelihood in 2018 (FAO & WFP 2018). Manyo is one of the few counties in the country to practice (rain fed) mechanized sorghum (or cereal) production on a large scale, although fighting and displacement since 2013 have curtailed production. Sorghum is also the county’s main crop, but other food crops are also produced in the area, including sweet potatoes, yams, groundnut, okra, cowpea, pumpkin, tomatoes, okra and cucumber. Additional livelihoods in the county include charcoal making, extracting gum Arabic, selling timber, and livestock. Most households own some livestock (cows, goats, poultry).

Normal migratory patterns see pastoralists from Sudan travel south through Manyo County during the dry season. It is unclear to what extent these traditional routes were disrupted as a result of the civil war; however, the FAO does not specifically attribute any abnormal patterns to the county (unlike, for example, the new routes reports in neighboring Renk, Melut, and Fashoda Counties).

IPC projections previously assessed food insecurity at Crisis levels (IPC Phase 3) for Manyo County, from January 2014 to early 2016, coinciding with the first phase of the national conflict. However, in 2020 the county is expected to see an increase from Crisis (IPC Phase 3) to Emergency levels (IPC Phase 4) of food insecurity by the middle of the year. The combined effect of protracted violence and instability in the county and poor infrastructure to begin with has further fragmented market structures. A HelpAge report found that village markets were functional and access to meat, milk and income from livestock was reduced at the peak of the civil war (HelpAge 2015). The conflict interrupted successive planting seasons, disrupted the migration of livestock, displaced people and generally imperiled livelihoods in the area. Local food sources have also been reduced as a result of crop pests. The denial of humanitarian access to the west bank of the White Nile only exacerbated the food crisis (SAS 2016).

Historically, migrants from Sudan have been drawn to the area due to cotton projects that were implemented in the pre-independence era. Following independence in 2011, the closure of the border with Sudan impacted trade routes, subsequently reducing the availability of goods in the market while simultaneously increasing inflation.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES

The county HQ is Wadakona/Wad Dakona. The presence of oil corporations has contributed to the destruction of natural resources and homes in order to set up the oil infrastructure (PAX 2014). Conflict and displacement have impacted the key infrastructure and services in the county. Many teachers had fled the area or sought out employment with NGOs, while in 2018, UNICEF reported that some healthcare services had been suspended in the county due to insecurity. A REACH assessment in 2018 found that none of the assessed settlements had access to land for cultivation, and the county’s population was migrating to urban areas to access services following insecurity as well as long dry spells which reduced crop yields. REACH also documented reduced access to water sources during this time period. The county received South Sudanese returning from Sudan in January 2019, which has placed additional pressure on local infrastructure and services. There was no network service in the county during much of the civil war, and even in 2020, the lack of mobile phone networks towers in the area continues to limit communication capacity in the area. It is one of the most communication-starved counties in South Sudan, with a vast majority of assessed settlements reporting no network access (REACH 2020).

The cumulative impact of this interruption to services has been a significant humanitarian burden. OCHA’s Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) for 2020 estimates that there are over 52,000 people with significant humanitarian needs in Manyo County. This represents 41% of the estimated population of the county reported in the HNO and reflects an increase compared to previous years. Persistent poverty in Manyo County has increased rates of child marriage as well as children joining armed forces.

CONFLICT DYNAMICS

Historically, key drivers of conflict in Manyo County have included border and land disputes, access to water and grazing lands, as well as cattle raids. Prior to independence in 2011, a disarmament campaign was carried out in the county. Tensions between communities in Renk and Manyo Counties are long-standing, with disputes arising over valuable grazing land, fishing areas, and arable land for cultivation (UNDP 2012). Borders between the two counties were never clearly demarcated by the South Sudanese government. Additionally, Manyo County has a history of border disputes with Sudan, over demarcation with Southern Kordofan and White Nile State. Manyo County was included in the National Dialogue consultations in December 2018 for the former Fashoda State, which highlighted ongoing tensions regarding land ownership disputes.

During the civil war within South Sudan, Manyo County was initially controlled by SPLA-IO and was one of the principal areas of conflict in Upper Nile State. In January 2014, at the beginning of the conflict, media reports stated that 1,000 people from the county had been displaced and fled to Sudan. In northern Upper Nile State, the SPLA-IO focused its military operations on the twin targets of Kaka in Manyo County and Renk town in neighbouring Renk County. SPLA-IO’s control of Wadakona/Wad Dakona town on the opposite riverbank in Manyo County enabled it to shell Renk town. During clashes between the two sides a ferry was bombed, which affected river transport in the county. The SPLA, with support from Shilluk and Padang Dinka militias, dislodged the SPLA-IO from Wadakona in March 2015, although the SPLA-IO’s ability to move across the border to bases in Sudan made it difficult for the SPLA to entirely prevent attacks launched from Manyo County on Renk.

In October 2015, following the announcement of a shift from 10 to 28 states decree, Shilluk groups complained that the change in the number of states gave Dinka control over land the Shilluk considered ‘theirs’. This, combined with growing tension between Shilluk and Padang Dinka in Malakal and Fashoda counties to the south, resulted in the Shilluk SPLA Commander Johannes Okiech splitting from the SPLA and creating the Tiger Faction New Forces (TFNF) and declaring the TFNF would fight the government until the decree wasrevoked. This led to clashes between the SPLA and TFNF in 2015-16, although Renk remained under government control. The death of Okiech in January 2017 significantly impaired TFNF control of Manyo County.

ADMINISTRATION & LOGISTICS

Payams: Wadakona (County HQ), Kak, Magenis, Athidhway, and Kwalo
Roads:

• A major road cuts across the county’s southern area, connecting the Paloich oil fields in neighboring Melut County, through Manyo County, and then west into Sudan. The Logistics Cluster gave this road a “green road open” classification in the dry season and a “yellow road warning” in the rainy season.
• The White Nile River is a traditional major source of riverine transport for Manyo County. In addition, a secondary road runs along the west bank of the White Nile River. (A major road runs parallel, along the river’s eastern bank in Renk County). The Logistics Cluster gave this road a “green road open” classification in the dry season and a “yellow road warning” in the rainy season.
• Manyo County is also connected to Malakal through the road network.

UNHAS-Recognized Heli-Landing-Sites and Airstrips: None

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).

Help Age International. (2015). Market and Trader Assessment: Manyo County South Sudan. Retrieved from: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/South%20Sudan%20Market%20and%20trader%20assessment%20in%20Manyo%20County_HelpAge%20International_0.pdf

OCHA. (2019). Humanitarian Needs Overview: South Sudan 2020.

REACH. (2018). Situation Overview: Upper Nile October-December 2018. Retrieved from: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/reach_ssd_situation_overview_upper_nile_october-december_2018.pdf

REACH. (2020). South Sudan: Trends in Communication Modalities and Preferences. Retrieved from: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/REACH_SSD_Communication-Modality-Preferences_FINAL.pdf

SAS. (2016). Small Arms Survey Annual Report 2016. Retrieved from: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/M-files/SAS-Annual-Report-2016.pdf

PAX. (2014). Scrutiny of South Sudan’s Oil Industry: Community Relations, Labour Practices and Impact on Land Use Patterns. Retrieved from: https://www.paxforpeace.nl/publications/all-publications/scrutiny-of-south-sudans-oil-industry

UNDP. (2012). Community Consultation Report: Upper Nile State South Sudan. Retrieved from: www.undp.org/dam/UNDP-SS-UpperNile-consult-12

UNHCR/IOM. (2019). South Sudan—UNHCR/IOM Intention Perception Survey—Malakal May 2019. Retrieved from: https://displacement.iom.int/reports/south-sudan-—-iom-unhcr-intention-perception-survey-–-malakal-may-2019

UNICEF. (2018). UNICEF South Sudan Humanitarin Situation Report #121 30 April-31 May 2018. Retrieved from: https://www.unicef.org/appeals/files/UNICEF_South_Sudan_Humanitarian_Situation_Report_May_2018.pdf

REPORTS on MANYO

CIVIC. (2016). “Those Who Could Not Run, Died”: Civilian Perspectives on the Conflict in South Sudan. Retrieved from https://civiliansinconflict.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/CIVIC_-_South_Sudan_Civilian_Perspectives.pdf

Craze, J. (2019). Displaced and Immiserated: The Shilluk of Upper Nile in South Sudan’s Civil War, 2014-19. Retrieved from http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/fileadmin/docs/reports/HSBA-Report-South-Sudan-Shilluk.pdf

FAO/WFP (March 2018) Special Report Page 31. Crop and Food security assessment to South Sudan
http://www.wfp.org/food-security/reports/CFSAM

HSBA. (2011). Fighting for spoils: Armed insurgencies in Greater Upper Nile. Retrieved from: http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/fileadmin/docs/issue-briefs/HSBA-IB-18-Armed-insurgencies-Greater-Upper-Nile.pdf

HSBA. (2016). The Conflict in Upper Nile State. Retrieved from: http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/facts-figures/south-sudan/conflict-of-2013-14/the-conflict-in-upper-nile.html

REACH. (2020). Situation Overview: Upper Nile State, South Sudan January—March 2020. Retrieved from: https://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/situation-overview-upper-nile-state-south-sudan-january-march-2020

Small Arms Survey. (2016). The Conflict in Upper Nile State. Retrieved from http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/facts-figures/south-sudan/conflict-of-2013-14/the-conflict-in-upper-nile.html