Renk County, Upper Nile State

DEMOGRAPHY

2008 Census population: 137,751

2020 Population projection* 188,564

Ethnic groups and languages: Dinka (Abilang/Abialang)

Displacement Figures: 17,721 IDPs (mostly Nuer, Shiluk, Burun, Dagu) and 82,804 returnees (Q1 2020)

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

ECONOMY & LIVELIHOODS

Renk County is the northernmost county in South Sudan and is located in Upper Nile State. It borders Sudan to the north at Gongbaar (Kosovo) and Panthou (Joda) to northwest, Melut County to the south, Maban County to the east, and Manyo County to the west.

The county is categorized as part of the Northern sorghum and cattle livelihood zone (FEWSNET 2018). Renk County’s primary economic activities include fishing along the Nile at Jalhak, Muolbuok and Renk, agriculture, especially simsim (sesame) and sorghum at Shomudi, Gongbaar, Omdhaluth, and Gosfami, charcoal production, gum Arabic production at Muolbuok, Renk and Jalhak, and raising livestock in Renk, Jerbani, Jalhak, and Omdhaluth. The FAO estimated that 40% of Renk County’s households were engaged in farming in 2018 (FAO & WFP 2019). The county is home to a number of rain-fed, mechanized cereal (sorghum) production farms that make it one of South Sudan’s most productive food-producing counties. Despite disruption caused by the civil war, mechanized agriculture continues in the area and is one of the few counties in the country capable of large-scale cereal production. In 2019, it was estimated that 280 tractors were functional in the county (FAO & WFP 2019).

Renk County’s proximity to Sudan has made it a key location for trade. Farming and trade patterns have historically been closely linked to Sudan, with a significant portion of the sorghum harvest destined for markets in Sudan. Following conflict with Sudan in the border areas of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, however, there has been a reorientation towards Juba and southern markets (with some loss of productivity after the departure of most of the Sudanese workforce who occupied both sole trade and large scale commercial markets such as food wholesale and banks). Renk County is an important transportation hub, lying along the eastern banks of the While Nile River and the international border with Sudan. Renk Port on the Nile River provides a major means of transportation in the county using commercial boats and steamers, particularly to Malakal and Juba. A 2019 assessment found that revealed that the local population was increasingly relying on markets to obtain staple cereals, as opposed to subsistence agriculture, due to perceived insecurity at growing areas (REACH 2019). However, prices have increased in the market, which was unaffordable for many households. As a result, they were resorting to strategies such as borrowing money, purchasing on credit and selling livestock to raise cash.

Food security projections in Renk County were categorized as Stressed (IPC Phase 2) for the period of January through March 2016. For the first half of 2020 these had increased to be at Crisis levels (IPC Phase 3) of food insecurity until mid-year. The outbreak of conflict in the Greater Upper Nile in December 2013 significantly disrupted agriculture production, trade, and livelihoods in Renk County. The county has experienced a decrease in crop yields due to previous insecurity, as well as insufficient rain in recent years and crop pests. Additionally, farmers that previously grew sorghum have switched to growing simsim (sesame), as they are able to obtain higher prices for the crops through trade with Sudan. Renk County has also experienced the effects of disruption in traditional cattle migratory routes, a dynamic that has exacerbated local tensions, imperiled livelihoods and altered disease patterns across the country. In Upper Nile State more generally, pastoralist groups report significant decreases in the overall livestock populations. Furthermore, a REACH report from 2019 also documented increasing levels of malnutrition in Renk County.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES

The County headquarters is Renk town. The WFP has contributed to the repair of roads in the county, particularly to facilitate the transportation of humanitarian food assistance between Renk and Maban. The oil pipeline from Paloich oil field in Melut County runs northwards through Renk County into White Nile State of Sudan. As such, retaining control of the county and Renk town in particular has been a priority for the SPLM/A.

According to OCHA’s Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) for 2020, there are an estimated 94,300 people with significant humanitarian needs in the county. This represents approximately 36% of the estimated population for Renk County reported in the HNO. Renk is one of nine counties listed in the HNO with “catastrophic levels of severity of needs” across all sectors, but particularly in health and WASH. A 2019 assessment indicated that accessibility to WASH infrastructure was quite poor, particularly when it came to access to water sources and latrines (REACH 2019). Due to migration and displacement, the county has been vulnerable to disease outbreaks. In 2015, a polio vaccination campaign was launched in response to the large number of IDPs in the county as a result of conflict. In 2019, a cholera outbreak in neighboring Sudan`s refugee camps of Alagaya (Joda) and Omsuonguor (near Kosti) led to a vaccination campaign in the county due to the level of returnees and refugees crossing the border at Joda. The same year, a measles vaccination campaign was implemented in the county following an outbreak.

CONFLICT DYNAMICS

Renk County’s strategic location at the north of the country and nearby natural resources have been a point of contention during the country’s civil wars. There has also been significant violence and conflict, particularly around the movement of Falata cattle herders through Dinka Abilang areas. Community consultations carried out in 2012 found that conflict drivers included environmental pollution, competition over clean water, land and border disputes, degradation of road networks by the oil sector, and tension over taxation rights with neighbouring counties such as Melut, Maban and Akoka (UNDP 2012).

The area saw heavy clashes involving the Sudanese Armed forces, SPLA forces, and local militias during the Sudan civil wars of 1955 – 2005. The SPLA’s 1st Division was stationed in Renk in 2005, and Renk town became the temporary state capital after Malakal fell to SPLA-IO rebels in February 2014. Holding Renk was a priority for the SPLA partially because the oil pipeline from Paloich runs through the county. In both 2014 and 2015, SPLA-IO attacked Renk County from Wadkona/Wad Dakona payam of Manyo County to the west, in an attempt to control the area.

Throughout this period, Shilluk forces worked with the SPLA (and its recruited Dinka Padang, Abilang and Ageer militias) to drive SPLA-IO out of south and north Upper Nile State. In May 2015, however, Shilluk forces led by John Olonyi in southern Upper Nile State defected to form the Agwelek Force after a series of antagonistic altercations with Dinka militias and perceived bad-faith mediation by the government. They took temporary control of Malakal and campaigned north, before being stopped by the SPLA’s 1st Division from Renk between Meluth and Paloch. Renk town experienced significant violence between November 2015 and February 2016 when another Shilluk militia – the Tiger Faction New Forces (TFNF) led by Johannes Okiech – defected from the SPLA in Manyo County.

Since February 2016, Renk County (and most parts of the east bank of West Nile of Wadkona County) has been under the control of the SPLA and its associated militia forces. Fighting between the SPLA-IO and TFNF led to the death of Ukich in January 2017 at Mageanis and significantly impaired TFNF operations in Manyo and Renk Counties. Since the signing of the R-ARCSS in September 2018, Renk County has become more stable and economic activities have resumed. However, the county continues to experience sporadic violence. For example, in November 2019, government forces clashed with militias from Sudan who crossed the border. Additionally, in early 2020 the county experienced protests against the return to the 10-state arrangement – in part driven by perceptions it would have benefited from hosting the capital of the former Northern Upper Nile State.

GEOGRAPHY & LOGISTICS

Payams listed in Government and UN documents: Chemmedi, Geger, Jalhak, North Renk, South Renk
Payams listed by local actors: enk (County HQ), Jalhak, Geiger, Muolbuok, Gosfami, Gongbaar (Kosovo), and Omdholwuth
Roads:

• Renk town lies to the east of White Nile, a major source of riverine transport from Malakal to Sudan. A major road also runs along the eastern bank of the river, connecting Renk to Meluth, Akoka and Malakal, before continuing on to Bor and Juba. The Logistics Cluster gave this road a “green road open” classification in the dry season and a “yellow road warning” in the rainy season.
• Secondary roads travel west across the county, connecting Renk town Jebel Ein of White Nile state in Sudan and Renk-Melut-Akoka-Paloch-Guekguk-Longochuk into Maiwut and Ethiopia. Seasoanl road conditions are unknown.

UNHAS-Recognized Heli-Landing Sites and Airstrips: Renk

REFERENCES

FAO & WFP. (2019). 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. (2019). Renk County Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment 2019. Retrieved from: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/reach_ssd_msna_renk_10082019.pdfwww.undp.org/dam/UNDP-SS-UpperNile-consult-12

REPORTS on RENK

Ahemd, A.E., Roghim, S. & Saleh, A. (2014). Pathways out of poverty in South Sudan, the case of Renk County. Direct Research Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences. 2(9) p.135-140.

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

Elmusharaf, K., Byrne, E. & O’Donovan, D. (2017). Social and traditional practices and their implications for family planning: a participatory ethnographic study in Renk, South Sudan. Reproductive Health 14(10).

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

Siddig, K., et al. (2013). The Prevalence of Poverty and Inequality in South Sudan: The Case Study of Renk County Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259484493_The_Prevalence_of_Poverty_and_Inequality_in_South_Sudan_The_Case_of_Renk_County

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