Mayom County, Unity State

DEMOGRAPHY

2008 NBS Census population: 120,715
2021 NBS PES population estimate*: 181,438
2022 UN OCHA population estimate*: 156,998

Ethnic groups: Bul Nuer (Kwach, Gok)

Displacement Figures Q3 2022: 27,357 IDPs (+6,161 Q1 2020) and 20,419 returnees (+1,279 Q1 2020)

IPC Food Security: November 2022 – Emergency (Phase 4); IPC Projections: December to March 2023 – Crisis (Phase 3); April to July 2023 – Emergency (Phase 4)

ECONOMY & LIVELIHOODS

Mayom County is located in Unity State. It borders Abiemnhom County to the north, Rubkona County to the east, and Koch County to the south-east. It also borders Warrap State (Twic, Gogrial East and Tonj North Counties) to the west. The Malual, Kiir (Naam) and Lol rivers run through the county, converging near Mayom Town, and the Jur River is also located at its southeast boundary.

The county is classified in the north-western Nile Basin cattle and maize livelihoods zone and comprises flat grasslands, with some shrubs, thorns, and patches of forest (FEWSNET 2018). The sandy and loamy soils are relatively fertile though the land is rocky in some areas. Residents are primarily agro-pastoralists. The area receives relatively low rainfall compared to other parts of Upper Nile and Unity states, which limits crop cultivation to certain drought-resistant varieties. The main crops cultivated are sorghum, and vegetables including, okra, cowpeas and pumpkin. People mainly herd cattle, with some also keeping goats and sheep. In Mankien payam (the largest in the county), residents generally grow maize, sorghum, beans, okra, pumpkins, sweet potatoes and tomatoes. An estimated 45% of households in Mayom County engaged in farming, with a gross cereal yield of 0.7 tonnes per hectare in 2021 (FAO/WFP 2022), decreasing to 0.6 tonnes per hectare in 2022 (FAO/WFP 2023).

Trade in firewood, elephant grass and casual labour are common means through which households generate income. Foraging for wild foods is also used as a coping strategy to supplement diets during periods of serious food insecurity.

From 2005-2013 Mayom was generally regarded as one of the main trade hubs in Unity State, after Rubkona and Leer. Commerce with Sudan (mainly Darfur and South Kordofan) was extensive as well with other parts of Unity and Upper Nile states. After the border with Sudan was closed in 2012, Mayom became one of the lifelines for supply of food and other commercial commodities to Bentiu and other counties in Unity State (ECOS & Pax 2014). However, during periods of insecurity – when transport routes are cut or made inaccessible – the flow of goods and supplies becomes erratic, leading to inflation and scarcity.

In November 2022, the IPC projected Mayom county as being at emergency (IPC level 4) levels of food insecurity, with conditions projected to improve to crisis levels (IPC level 3) between December and March 2023, before returning to emergency levels until at least July 2023.As of November 2022, over 25% of households in Mayom were predicted to meet over 50% of their caloric needs from humanitarian food assistance, though between December and July 2023 humanitarian assistance is predicted to account for 25-50% of those needs.

Food insecurity is compounded by frequent flooding and sustained insecurity that have inhibited the ability of Mayom residents to engage in livelihood activities. In 2021, Mayom was designated a flood-affected county by the Emergency Response Coordination Centre.

INFRASTRUCTURE & SERVICES

The county headquarters is located in Mayom town and the outbreak of conflict in 2013 had a devastating effect on the services and infrastructure in the county.

Mayom County was reported to have twelve (12) health facilities including nine (9) functional health facilities, among them six (6) PHCUs and three (3) PHCCs in 2022. This means that there were an estimated 0.57 PHCUs per 15,000 people and 0.96 PHCCs per 50,000 people according to the WHO, which ranks Mayom as among the ten counties with the lowest ratios of PHCUs/person in South Sudan. In 2016 UNICEF identified one functioning hospital serving located in Kuerbuone/Mayom payam however no hospitals were reported in Mayom County in 2021.

While schools may not be fully accessible throughout the year, Mayom County is home to one hundred (100) primary schools and two (2) secondary schools: Mayom Secondary of Kueryiek Payam and Mankien Secondary of Mankien Payam. There are no Early Childhood Development centres currently operating in Mayom.

According to OCHA’s Humanitarian Needs Overview for 2023, there are 102,763 people with humanitarian needs in Mayom County (down from 134,500 in 2021). This is equivalent to approximately 65% of the estimated population of Mayom County reported in the HNO. In 2020 OCHA highlighted that IDPs in particular were vulnerable to water-borne diseases and were having to walk 3-5 kilometres to reach the nearest health clinic.

An IOM biometric registration activity in 2018 revealed that 86% of assessed households in Mayom County had been displaced at some point between 2015 and 2018. Such a high degree of displacement illustrates the precarious nature of movement dynamics in Mayom County.

CONFLICT DYNAMICS

Inter-communal violence and cattle raiding contribute to Mayom’s instability. Community consultations held in Mayom in 2012 suggested that clashes were mostly driven by poor availability of water points, widespread availability of small arms, and competition over access to pasture, watering areas and land (UNDP 2012). Border disputes – for example between Chatjak Payam of Mayom and Ngop Payam of Rubkona – were also reported and often focused on access to natural resources and raiding for cattle. Cattle raids and conflict over resources often accompany the seasonal migration of herds westwards into Greater Bahr El Ghazal, including with the Misseriya, who migrate from Sudan to northern Mayom with their cattle, sheep and goat herds during the dry season (Nov – May).

The migration of Misseriya through Mayom has presented both opportunities and risks for peace. On the one hand, cooperation between Misseriya traders and Mayom communities has been endorsed by county and state authorities, and has played an important role in reducing prices, improving livelihoods and building trust (Concordis 2012). On the other hand, seasonal clashes between the groups are a longstanding issue and continue to this day. UNMISS organized peace forum between Misseriya and Mayom communities in 2018 in an attempt to regulate cross-border cattle migration and address cattle raiding (UNMISS 2018).

The county’s strategic location and proximity to oil fields has also made it a frequent target of attacks and led to the destruction of entire villages in the early stages of the war. According to a Peace Direct report from 2015, youth militias in the area were provided money and guns to support these types of attacks on civilian areas, and often looted property. Mayom is a strategically and symbolically important town and, as a result, was the site of significant fighting between government and opposition forces during the civil war. Mayom is home to the Bul Nuer clan, which comprised the majority of SPLA fighters in Unity State by 2015 and also dominate Unity State government positions. This has led to tensions with other Nuer groups in Unity state, who reportedly resent the Bul Nuer for aligning with the government in attacks against fellow Nuer in Southern Unity. This resentment is not limited to Mayom or Unity state – over the last five years, there have been two significant clashes between Bul Nuer and other Nuer groups at the Juba PoC-3 site: one in May 2015 and the other in August 2018, involving hundreds of IDPs and resulting in multiple fatalities.

In January 2014 government forces seized control of Mayom Town and pushed opposition forces to the outskirts of the county. The government used Mayom as a buffer to prevent violence from escalating in Warrap – the home of President Kiir. Government attempts to disperse SPLA-IO from their positions in Mayom’s southeastern corner (near the border with Rubkona and Koch counties) were unsuccessful and skirmishes continued over subsequent years. Landmines and explosive remnants of war were reportedly left in Mayom (as well as Leer, Bentiu, Pariang and Abiemnhom), which UN Mine Action is in the lengthy process of clearing.

A further dynamic is the presence of the South Sudan Liberation Movement (SSLM), led by Commander Matthew Puljiang. The SSLM is a predominately Bul Nuer force consisting of some 2,000 fighters active across Mayom County. While the SSLM was technically incorporated into the SPLA in 2014, Commander Puljiang retained independent control over his troops. However, chronic insecurity and longstanding grievances with Dinka communities in Warrap State have occasionally resulted in significant flare-ups of violence. For instance, in May 2019, Bul Nuer fighters thought to be affiliated with the SSLM attacked locations in the Turalei area, resulting in 28 deaths and several dozen injuries (EASO 2020).

ADMINISTRATION & LOGISTICS

Payams listed in Government and UN documents: Bieh, Kuerbuone, Kueryiek, Mankien, Ngop, Pup, Riak, Ruathnyibuol, Wangbuor-1, Wangbuor-2, Wangbuor-3, Wangkei.
Alternative list of payams provided by local actors: Mayom town (County HQ). Bieh, Kuerbuone, Kueryiek, Mankien, Ngop, Pup, Riak, Ruathnyibuol, Wangbuor, Wangkei.

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

Roads:

• A primary road runs northwest out of Mayom to connect to Turalei in Twic County (Warrap State) via Abiemnhom town (Abiemnhom County), with a junction in north-east Twic County leading to Abyei. The road was deemed to be impassable in the rainy season of 2022, and passable in the dry season of 2023.
• Another primary road runs east to connect Mayom town to Bentiu, the state capital. The road was deemed to be impassable in the rainy season of 2022, and passable up to the border with Rubkona County in the dry season of 2023, and thereafter impassable. Mayom connects to Abyei through a tertiary track of unknown seasonable conditions.
• A tertiary road runs south of Mayom town to Mankien town, before running north-west and then south into Gogrial East County. The condition of the road is unknown.

UNHAS-Recognized Heli-Landing-Sites and Airstrips: Mankien

REFERENCES

Concordis. (2012). ‘Crossing the Line: Transhumance in Transition Along the Sudan-South Sudan Border’, October 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

ECOS & PAX. (2014). ‘Scrutiny of South Sudan’s Oil Industry: Community Relations, Labour Practices and Impact on Land Use Patterns’. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

Eye Radio. (2021a). ‘Mayom fighting death toll rises to 9’. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

Eye Radio. (2021b). ‘Hundreds of cattle stolen from Mayom County’. 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.

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

IOM. (2018). ‘Mayom Biometric Registration. 21 January 2018 to 18 March 2018’. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

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

Peace Direct .(2015). ‘Peacebuilding Mapping in Unity State, South Sudan’. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

Radio Tamazuj. (2021), ‘Discharged ex-SSPDF Gen. Stephen Buay joins Gen. Malong’s SSUF’, 3 May 2021.

UNDP. (2012). ‘Community Consultation Report: Unity State, South Sudan. May 2012’. No longer available online on 7 August 2023.

UNMISS. (2018). ‘Civil Affairs Division Summary Action Report. 1 March – 20 April 2018’. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

REPORTS on MAYOM

Amnesty International. (2012). ‘South Sudan Overshadowed Conflict: Arms Supplies Fuel Violation in Mayom County, Unity State’. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

Craze, J., Tubiana, J., & Gramizzi, C. (2016). ‘A state of disunity: Conflict dynamics in unity state, South Sudan, 2013-15’. Small Arms Survey. 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.

Pendle, N. (2020). ‘The ‘Nuer of Dinka money’ and the demands of the dead: contesting the moral limits of monetised politics in South Sudan’. in Conflict, Security & Development 20 (5), 587–605. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

Rone, J. (2003). ‘Sudan, Oil, and Human Rights’. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

Small Arms Survey/HSBA. (2013). ‘Pendulum swings: The rise and fall of insurgent militias in South Sudan’. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

REACH. (2019). ‘Unity State Situation Overview: July-September 2019’. 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.