Mvolo County, Western Equatoria State

DEMOGRAPHY

2008 NBS Census population: 48,134
2021 NBS PES population estimate*: 65,339
2022 UN OCHA population estimate*: 75,350

Ethnic groups: ‘Jur Beli’/Bel, Bongo, Wira, Nyamusa, Moru, Moru/Moro Kodo**

Displacement Figures Q3 2022:  1,164 IDPs (-1,287 Q1 2020) and 38,311 returnees (+17,257 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

Mvolo County is located in Western Equatoria State. It borders Maridi County to the south-west, Mundri West County to the south, and Mundri East County to the south-east. It also borders Lakes State (Wulu and Yirol West Counties) to the north and Central Equatoria State (Terekeka County) to the east.

The county falls within the ironstone plateau agro-pastoral livelihoods zone (FEWSNET 2018). In 2018, subsistence farming accounted for the primary livelihood of 50% of the population according to estimates by FAO and WFP (2018). This estimate had increased to 70% by 2021 (FAO/WFP 2022). The food crops that are grown in the area include: sorghum, millet, cassava, maize, groundnuts, beans, sesame and sweet potatoes, with subsistence animal husbandry as a supplementary livelihood activity. Gross cereal yields were estimated to be 0.95 tonnes per hectare in 2021, declining to 0.9 tonnes per hectare in 2022 (FAO/WFP 2022; FAO/WFP 2023). The Naam River is the most significant geographical feature in county.

In November 2022, Mvolo County was determined to be experiencing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) levels of food insecurity. This is predicted to be maintained until at least July 2023.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES

The county’s headquarters is located in Mvolo town in Mvolo Payam. Mvolo sits on trade routes connecting Juba, Western Equatoria and major markets in the Greater Bahr el-Ghazal region such as Rumbek. Ongoing insecurity in Mvolo and surrounding counties (especially in Lakes State) has led to deterioration of transportation and trade routes. Combined with rising inflation, this has significantly impacted food security, availability and accessibility. In early 2021, Mvolo residents reported a reduction of illegal roadblocks throughout the county and improved ease of movement to towns like Mundri. However, cattle-related tensions with bordering Lakes State communities continued to be reported and limited access to health facilities and other essential infrastructure are identified by residents as a significant obstacle to enjoying the improved security conditions (Radio Tamazuj 2021b).

Mvolo County is home to eleven (11) Early Childhood Development centers, fifty-one (51) primary schools and three (3) secondary schools including Unity Secondary and Mvolo Secondary in Mvolo payam and Yeri Secondary in Yeri payam.

Mvolo County was reported to have fourteen (14) health facilities including twelve (12) functional health facilities, among them nine (9) PHCUs and three (3) PHCCs in 2022. This means that there were an estimated 1.80 PHCUs per 15,000 people and 1.99 PHCCs per 50,000 people according to the WHO. No hospitals were reported in Mvolo County.

According to OCHA’s 2023 Humanitarian Needs Overview, 43,949 people in the county have humanitarian needs (up from 31,100 in 2021), which accounts for approximately 58% of the estimated population for Mvolo County reported in the HNO. Physical constraints including mountainous terrain, roads passing through isolated forest areas, broken bridges and deep gullies have made Mvolo and the neighboring Mundri area among the hardest to reach in the country.

CONFLICT DYNAMICS

Mvolo has historically been impacted by communal clashes with groups in neighboring states. In early 2011, clashes began between pastoralists from neighbouring Lakes state and host community members, who are mainly farmers. Tensions were attributed to the movement of cattle from Yirol in Lakes State to agricultural land in the Mvolo area, due to a lack of water and grazing land during the dry season. This movement led to the destruction of crops and looting of settlements. Tensions in the area prevented residents from accessing health facilities and schools, and also impacted the food access. The governors of both states, as well as local leaders and humanitarian organizations, facilitated a peace and reconciliation process over several months, leading to the signing of a community-led peace agreement by June 2011.

While Mvolo did not play a significant role in during the civil war that broke out in 2013, it hosted SPLA garrisons and armament-storage facilities, often used in neighboring areas during times of unrest. For example, troops based in Mvolo were involved in attacks against armed groups in neighbouring counties such as Mundri in October 2015 (Radio Tamazuj 2015). The increased movement of cattle-keeping communities into Mvolo County contributed to increasing tensions and intermittent conflict in the county between December 2014 and April 2017. This led to loss of life and displacement of population from Bahr-Grindi/Bahr El Girin, Lesi/Lessi, Dari and Kokori (Women Aid Vision 2017).

Despite a peace conference held in Mvolo County with governors and representatives from neighbouring areas in May 2017 and an overall decline in violence between formal armed groups, grassroots conflict has continued to present challenges to security in Mvolo County with cattle raids reported in April 2020 (Radio Tamazuj 2017, 2020).

ADMINISTRATION & LOGISTICS

Payams: Mvolo (County Headquarters), Kokori, Bagori, Lessi, Bahr El Grindi, Dari, Yeri

UN OCHA 2020 map for Mvolo County: https://reliefweb.int/map/south-sudan/south-sudan-mvolo-county-reference-map-march-2020

Roads:

• Mvolo is connected by a primary road running north to Rumbek town (Lakes State) and south to Mundri town (Mundri West County). This road was deemed passable during both the rainy and dry seasons of 2022 and 2023, respectively.
• A secondary road connects Mvolo to Aluak-luak in Yirol West County (Lakes State). This road was considered ‘passable with difficulties’ during both the rainy and dry seasons of 2022 and 2023, respectively. Note that the primary road between Rumbek town and Mingkaman (which the secondary road joins) was impassible during the rainy season of 2022.
• A tertiary road runs south to Maridi town in Maridi County. The condition of the road is unknown.
• A short tertiary road runs north to Billing village in Rumbek East County (Lakes State) from Mvolo town, the conditions of which are unknown. Please note that this road stops at Billing, and does not connect to any other roads in Lakes State.

UNHAS-recognized Heli-Landing Sites and Airstrips: None
MAF-Recognised Airstrips: Mvolo town

REFERENCES

FAO/WFP. (2023). South Sudan 2022 Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) Summary of findings. Retrieved 10 July 2023.

FEWSNET. (2018). Livelihoods Zone Map and Descriptions for the Republic of South Sudan (Updated). Retrieved 10 July 2023.

OCHA. (2021). Humanitarian Needs Overview: South Sudan 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2023.

Radio Tamazuj. (2015). SPLA loses control of part of Mundri Town. Retrieved 15 July 2023.

Radio Tamazuj. (2017). South Sudan governors wrap up peace conference in Mvolo County. Retrieved 15 July 2023.

Radio Tamazuj. (2020). 9 killed, 6 injured in Mvolo cattle raid. Retrieved 15 July 2023.

Radio Tamazuj. (2021). Movolo calm after long periods of insecurity. Retrieved 15 July 2023.

REACH. (2020). Integrated Needs Tracking (INT) County Profile – Mvolo County. Retrieved 15 July 2023.

Women Aid Vision. (2017). Assessment Report for Mvolo and Yeri IDPs. Retrieved 15 July 2023.

REPORTS on MVOLO

Lambo, Y. (2020). In South Sudan, the Hope and Pain of Nonviolence. USIP. Retrieved 15 July 2023.

Nonviolent Peaceforce. (2011). Interstate Conflict in South Sudan: A Case Study in Unarmed Civilian Peacekeeping. Retrieved 15 July 2023.

Small Arms Survey. (2016). Conflict in Western Equatoria: Describing events through 17 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2023.

South Sudan Council of Churches. (2002). ‘Pankar Consultative Meetings: A Series of Two Meetings to Address the Rising Trend of Inter Communal Conflict in the Lakes Area of Bahr El Ghazal Region and Mvolo County’, proceedings, 16–20 September and 30–31 October. Sudan Open Archive. Retrieved 15 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: The Moru Kodo should not be confused with the Moru, who have a distinct language and culture. The former have historically settled in Maridi, Mundri West and Mvolo, and their name is variously described as ‘Moru Kodo’, ‘Moro Kodo’, ‘Morokodo’ or ‘Kodo Kodo’.