Terekeka County, Central Equatoria State

DEMOGRAPHY

2008 NBS Census population: 144,373
2021 NBS PES population estimate*: 242,992
2022 UN OCHA population estimate*: 258,889

Ethnic groups: Mundari (Korbura, Mundari-Nyangwara**, Tali)

Displacement Figures Q3 2022: 6,917 IDPs (-16,248 Q1 2020) and 113 returnees (-18,642 Q1 2020).

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

ECONOMY & LIVELIHOODS

Terekeka County is located at the northern edge of Central Equatoria State. It borders Juba County to the south, Mvolo and Mundri East counties of Western Equatoria State to the west, Yirol West and Awerial counties of Lakes State, Bor South County of Jonglei State to the north, and Lafon County of Eastern Equatoria State to the east. The county contains both low lying swamps and hills in the southern portion of the county. The Nile River runs down the eastern bank of Terekeka Town and Lake Madi is located in the county’s west.

According to FEWSNET (2018), the county falls within the Ironstone Plateau agro-pastoral livelihoods zone. The Mundari that reside in Terekeka are known to be both cattle keepers and cultivators. Due to the location of the White Nile, fishing is also a viable livelihood for residents of the county, which can be exported to markets in other parts of the country such as Juba. As a result, access to land and water play a critical role in the livelihoods of Terekeka residents, at times leading to clashes with neighbouring groups. The financial crisis, which has impacted South Sudan at large, as well as insecurity along trade routes, have impacted Terekeka’s market. In addition to a lack of imports, which often transit through Juba, it has also become increasingly difficult for Terekeka residents to sell their fish and other goods to markets, in Juba and elsewhere. There is potential for farming but the majority of the population still carry out production at subsistence level, owing to various conflict-related factors. The main crops are sorghum, maize, sesame and beans. Conditions are also ideal for large-scale groundnut production, which are transported to markets in Juba. In April and May, when little other food is available, people also forage the bush for wild vegetables including green leaves, tubers and fruit. Several humanitarian projects in the area have focused on encouraging greater use of fishery resources.

The IPC projected Terekeka County as being at a crisis (IPC level 3) level of food insecurity in November 2022, with conditions projected to persist at the same level until at least mid-2023. An estimated 80% of households in Terekeka County engaged in farming, with a gross cereal yield of 0.8 tonnes per hectare in 2021 (FAO/WFP 2022), rising to 1.0 tonnes per hectare in 2022 (FAO/WFP 2023). A 2020 REACH assessment found worrisome coping strategies including residents in 32% of settlements consuming wild foods that are known to make people sick and residents in 14% of settlements coping with a lack of food by only having children eat. Residents in 59% of assessed settlements reported their hunger as severe or the worst it can be. Residents in 32% of settlements were selling livestock to cope with a lack of food. Many of these concerning indicators endured in 2022, with 69% of assessed settlements reporting severe hunger (REACH 2022). In 2020, livestock disease was reported to be present in 68% of settlements, though this declined to 25% in 2022.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES

The county’s headquarters are located in Terekeka Payam. Terekeka County has a main market; however insecurity and the financial crisis have impacted the ability of traders to import goods from Uganda or even Juba.

Terekeka county is home to five (5) Early Childhood Development centres, fifty-one (51) Primary schools and five (5) Secondary schools. Many of the male youth reside in cattle camps, which make formal educational institutions difficult to access due to migratory patterns. Educational interventions have however increased access to education for girls who may have otherwise been forced into early marriage.

Terekeka County was reported to have forty-four (44) health facilities including forty-two (42) functional health facilities, among them thirty-five (35) PHCUs and seven (7) PHCCs in 2022. This means that there were an estimated 2.03 PHCUs per 15,000 people and 1.35 PHCCs per 50,000 people according to the WHO. No hospitals were reported in Terekeka County.

According to OCHA’s Humanitarian Needs Overview for 2023, approximately 163,300 people in the county have humanitarian needs down from 205,400 people in 2021. This is equivalent to approximately 63% of the estimated population reported in the HNO. The county was determined to be among the eight Equatorial counties with the highest rates of contamination of landmines/explosive remnants of war (ERW). Terekeka County is also highlighted as one of the counties with the greatest WASH-related needs.  This is in part because of a reliance on surface water and a lack of sanitation facilities and exacerbated by high insecurity in the area (OCHA 2021 p.70).  The county shares a border with Western Equatoria and Jonglei states, and has hosted IDPs from these areas. In particular, widespread flooding downstream in Bor, Twic East and Duk Counties led to a large influx of IDPs from these areas to settle around Mangala on the border of Terekeka and Juba counties in late 2020. This has put additional pressure on food sources, local services and infrastructure. This was reflected in tension over land for the IDPs and access to services that have complicated pre-existing tensions and displacement resulting from competing claims to administer Mangala from the Mundari and Bari communities (Deng and CSRF 2020).

CONFLICT DYNAMICS

Occupying the strategic area between Juba and Bor, the Mundari of Terekeka have long had a complicated relationship with the SPLM/A, with most choosing to remain outside of the movement during the Sudanese civil war. A political accommodation was reached between Clement Wani Konga – who headed an irregular force of mostly Mundari aligned with the ruling National Congress Party of Sudan – and the SPLM/A leadership in the run-up to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, in which Clement Wani would remain as Governor for Central Equatoria State (Young 2006).

The Mundari have linguistic ties with the neighbouring Bari of Juba County, though relations between parts of the communities have been strained by recurrent disputes relating to land and grazing, alongside contestation for administrative positions (Wani Gore 2014, pp.13-14). The relationship between parts of the Mundari and their Dinka neighbours to the west and east has been marked by times of peace and co-operation, counterposed with times of violent competition relating to land and livelihoods. During the 1980s, competition for control of the meat and cattle trade into Juba overlapped with the outbreak of the second Sudanese civil war, resulting in violence between some Mundari and Dinka residing in Juba, and leading to reprisal attacks (including sexual violence) by predominantly Dinka SPLM/A soldiers in Terekeka in 1986. These reprisal attacks catalysed the formation of anti-SPLM/A Mundari militias that were closely linked to the Sudanese government, and the defection of many Mundari members of the SPLM/A to these militias (Wani Gore 2014, pp.10-11). In the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s conflict continued to affect the county, with settlements changing hands between the government and opposition (Africa Watch 1990, p.154; HRW 1994).

In 2005, the Mundari and Dinka communities participated in a peace and reconciliation initiative, while the Tali Conference was organised to facilitate safe passage of displaced Dinka Bor communities who were returning from parts of Greater Equatoria to Bor South County in Jonglei State (LeRiche and Arnold 2012, p.237; PACT Sudan 2006, pp.161-163). However, conflict involving parts of the Mundari and Dinka Bor persisted in 2006 and 2007, with serious conflict reported in 2009 (Sudan Tribune 2009). One focal point for conflict relates to tensions between the Mundari, Dinka Bor and Bari over the disputed Mangala area, which straddles the eastern border between Terekeka and Juba counties (Deng and CSRF 2020). A second axis of conflict is along the border with Awerial County in Lakes State. The Aliab Dinka of Awerial and the Mundari experienced a pronounced deterioration of relations in 2009, and again in 2020 and 2021, as is discussed further in the profile for Awerial County.

When the national conflict started in December 2013, the Mundari were not natural allies of either party to the conflict, and were reported to have allowed opposition commanders and politicians to pass through Terekeka County (ICG 2016, p.34). Reports indicated that clashes between Mundari bodyguards of Clement Wani and the SPLA took place in July 2014, which were denied by both sides (ICG 2014). As noted by the International Crisis Group (2016, p.35), the government attempted to secure the support of Clement Wani and the Mundari militia through providing weapons and money, and increasing recruitment of Central Equatorians into the military. Clement Wani was dismissed as governor in September 2015 partly as a result of his deteriorating health, though was appointed as a Special Advisor to the President the following year. Since his dismissal, am erosion of internal cohesion among the Mundari and an acceleration of intra-ethnic tension and insecurity has occurred, discussed in further detail below.

Terekeka has been affected by the shifts in administrative boundaries since 2015, when it became a state in its own right until the reversion to 10 states in 2020. In May 2016, fighting broke out between SPLA forces and suspected Mundari armed group during the inauguration ceremony for the new county government, in which a Jubek State*** flag was raised in Mangala (Radio Tamazuj 2016). Approximately 1,200 people were displaced following the clashes, which resulted in the deaths of three government soldiers and one civilian (IRIN 2016).

The political influence of the Mundari has declined since Clement Wani’s removal, whilst internal tensions among the Mundari have increased. Since the signing of the R-ARCSS in 2018, conflict dynamics in the area have been defined mostly by intra-Mundari clashes, including the targeted killing of senior leaders. In October 2020, the convoy of the former governor was attacked by unknown armed groups leading to the death of one of his sons and a series of revenge attacks (Eye Radio 2020). Since late 2020, inter-clan conflict among Mundari pastoralists has been reported in Terekeka, Juba, and Lainya counties, killing dozens. Peace and reconciliation efforts led by religious leaders have identified a lack of implementation of previous resolutions – including failed disarmament, as well as continued cattle raiding – as major obstacles to realising security in the area (VOA 2021). In August 2023, and following intra-Mundari clashes in northern Juba County, an SSPDF disarmament campaign in Terekeka reportedly retrieved nearly 4,000 weapons (Radio Tamazuj 2023). A UN Security Council report (2023, p.5) noted that the exercise had been accompanied by “excessive use of force towards civilians”. Tensions with neighbouring Dinka and Bari communities have also continued, enflamed by flood related displacement in Mangala and the more extensive and protracted movements of pastoralist groups into southern areas.

ADMINISTRATION & LOGISTICS

Payams: Terekeka (County Headquarters), Gameiza, Nyori, Mangala North, Muni, Reggo, Rijong, Tali, Tombek, Tindilo

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

Roads:

• A primary road running through Terekeka linking Lakes State’s Yirol to its north (via Awerial) and Juba to its south. The entire road was deemed passable in the 2023 dry season, but only the portion of the road running south to Juba was designated as being passable in the 2022 rainy season. During the rainy season, the northern stretch of the road was deemed “passable with difficulties” up to Awerial, and impassible from Awerial to Yirol. Note that there is a secondary bypass running south to Juba, the conditions of which are unknown.
• The Juba-Bor highway passes through Terekeka County along the east bank of the Nile. This is a primary road, and was deemed passable during the rainy season and dry season of 2022 and 2023, respectively.
• A tertiary road running west between Terekeka town and Tali was also deemed passable during the most recent rainy and dry seasons. This road becomes a secondary road at Tali, running north to Yirol (the conditions of which are unknown during the most recent rainy and dry seasons), and south-west to Mundri town (which is deemed passable in the rainy season and dry season of 2022 and 2023, respectively).
• A tertiary road runs southward from Tindilo village in western Terekeka County down to Rokon town in the far west of Juba County. This road does not appear on Logistics Clusters maps, meaning its condition is unknown.

UNHAS-recognised Heli and Fixed-Wing Airplane Airstrips: None

REFERENCES

Africa Watch. (1990). Denying “the Honor of Living”: Sudan, a Human Rights Disaster. Retrieved 24 February 2024.

Deng, D. and CSRF (2020). Conflict Sensitivity Analysis: Considerations for the Humanitarian Response in Mangalla. Retrieved 10 July 2023.

Eye Radio. (2020). Security forces deployed to quell tension around Terekeka. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

Eye Radio. (2021). Mundari leaders push to unite conflicting communities. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

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

HRW, Human Rights Watch. (1994). Civilian Devastation: Abuses by All Parties in the War in Southern Sudan. Retrieved 14 February 2024.

ICG. (2014). Halting South Sudan’s Spreading Civil War. Retrieved 16 October 2023.

ICG. (2016). South Sudan’s South: Conflict in the Equatorias. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

IRIN. (2016). Splits and schisms in South Sudan. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

IRNA. (2020). IRNA Report: Tombek and Muni Assessment in Terekeka. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

LeRiche, M. and Arnold, M. (2012). South Sudan: From Revolution to Independence. London: Hurst & Co.

PACT Sudan. (2006). Sudan Peace Fund (SPF): Final Report October 2022 – December 2005. USAID.

Radio Tamazuj. (2016). Attack kills 4 in Mangala, Central Equatoria. Retrieved 16 October 2023.

Radio Tamazuj. (2020). Terekeka Peace committee to begin peace dialogue. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

Radio Tamazuj. (2021). 7 killed, 6 mounded in Terekeka. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

Radio Tamazuj. (2023). Close to 4,000 illegal weapons recovered in Terekeka County. Retrieved 16 October 2023.

REACH. (2020). Integrated Needs Tracking (INT) County Profile – Terekeka County. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

REACH. (2022). Integrated Needs Tracking (INT) County Profiles. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

Sudan Tribune. (2009). 20 villages destroyed, thousands displaced by Mundari – Dinka Bor fighting. Retrieved 12 March 2024.

UNICEF. (2003). Analysis of Nine Conflicts in Sudan. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

United Nations Peacekeeping. (2019). Mobile peace campaign brings hope to cattle camps in Terekeka area. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

UNSC, UN Security Council. (2023). Situation in South Sudan: Report of the Secretary-General, S/2023/976. Retrieved 4 January 2024.

VOA. (2021). South Sudan Religious Leaders Hold Talks aimed at Ending Intercommunal Fighting. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

Wani Gore, P. (2014). The overlooked role of elites in African grassroots conflicts: A case study of the Dinka-Mundari-Bari conflict in Southern Sudan. Chr. Michelsen institute. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

Young, J. (2006). The South Sudan Defence Forces in the Wake of the Juba Declaration. Small Arms Survey/HSBA. Retrieved 16 October 2023.

REPORTS on TEREKEKA

Adala, C. G. (2016). Factors Influencing Girl Child Drop-Out In Primary Schools In Terekeka County, South Sudan (Doctoral dissertation, University of Nairobi). Retrieved 13 July 2023.

Aleu, A. G., Bukuluki, P., & Mbabazi, C. M. (2019). Beneficiaries perceptions of the contributions of community development projects to peacebuilding process in South Sudan: A case of Terekeka State. African Journal of History and Culture, 11(4), 43-50. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

Justin, P. H. & De Vries, L. (2019). Governing Unclear Lines: Local Boundaries as a (Re)source of Conflict in South Sudan. Journal of Borderlands Studies, 34(1), 31-46. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

PAX. (2024). Human Security Survey 2022 Annual Summary Report – Juba and Terekeka Counties (Central Equatoria State), South Sudan. Retrieved 7 February 2024.

Wani Gore, P. (2014). The overlooked role of elites in African grassroots conflicts: A case study of the Dinka-Mundari-Bari conflict in Southern Sudan. Chr. Michelsen institute. Retrieved 13 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 Nyangwara section of the Mundari should not be confused with the Nyangwara listed under Juba County. The former – here listed as ‘Mundari-Nyangwara’ for clarity – are a separate group that some people regard as tracing their origin to the Nyangwara people. The latter are another ethnic group who have historically settled in the Rokon area of Juba County.

*** Note: Like Terekeka State, Jubek State was in existence between late 2015 and early 2020, and was based on the boundaries of Juba County.