Ulang County, Upper Nile State

DEMOGRAPHY

2008 Census population: 85,044

2020 Population projection*: 115,640

Ethnic groups and languages: Jikany Nuer (Cie-Lang: Nguandong, Khorchol, Lonythior, Walok Chany)

Displacement Figures: 17,619 IDPs and 36,404 returnees (Q1 2020)

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

ECONOMY & LIVELIHOODS

Ulang County is located in Upper Nile State. It borders Baliet County to the north and Luakpiny/Nasir County to the north-east. It also borders Jonglei State (Nyriol County and Akobo County) to the south-west and Ethiopia to the east.

The county is classified as part of the Nile-Sobat Rivers livelihood zone and the Northeastern maize and cattle livelihood zone (FEWSNET 2018). It is a lowland area, characterized by grasslands, forests and swamps that are particularly susceptible to flooding. An estimated 50% of households engage in farming as their primary livelihood (FAO & WFP 2019), with the remainder made up mostly by those rearing livestock, fishing and gathering. The main crops are maize and sorghum, as well as pumpkin, cowpeas, simsim (sesame), tomatoes, okra, onion, eggplant, cabbage, greens and other garden vegetables. Better-off households keep cattle, goats and sheep.

The Sobat River flows east to west along the length of Ulang County, forming part of the county’s southeastern border with Ethiopia and northwestern border with Nyirol County. Fishing on the Sobat River is seasonal, taking place primarily in the swamps towards the end of the rainy season and into the dry season.

The main local market is in Ulang town, and other nearby markets include Malakal, Akoka and Panyikang towns.

In 2013, FEWSNET reported low food insecurity in the region given the diversified sources of livelihood. However, outbreak of civil war in December 2013 severely disrupted the normal farming cycle, migratory patterns and trade routes, displaced persons, and generally imperiled livelihoods in the area. In early 2016, IPC projections placed Ulang county at Crisis levels (IPC Phase 3) of food insecurity, while for the first half of 2020, the county is projected to be at Emergency levels (IPC Phase 4) of food insecurity. This is partly a result of floods that occurred in 2019, which inhibited local production of food, destroyed existing crops, decreased access for humanitarian organizations, and limited trade supplies to the county. The principle livelihood hazards are crop pests, livestock disease and flooding.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES

Ulang Town is the County HQ. Ulang County was administered as part of Latjor State between 2015 and 2020 but was reintegrated into Upper Nile State again with the reversion to a 10-state arrangement. The main roads are seasonal and market access can be difficult during the rainy season.

Ulang County relies on river transport for some services, including food distribution. While this has been interrupted at times due to insecurity, it has continued to be used since the 2013 outbreak of conflict. In 2019, MSF reported that it has established a new hospital to serve the county, as well as mobile clinics, they also rely on river transport to access patients in otherwise inaccessible areas. The floods that occurred in 2019 had a significant impact on infrastructure and services in Ulang. Access to markets and trade supplies decreased during this time, making it difficult for local residents to purchase goods when they were unable to engage in subsistence agriculture. Livestock drowned, crops were destroyed, and property was lost. Additionally, school attendance decreased during this time, and some schools were occupied by those who had been displaced by the floods which further inhibited access to educational services. Furthermore, access to healthcare decreased, which was problematic due to the increase in waterborne diseases resulting from the flood conditions. In the same year, intercommunal violence led to the relocation of humanitarian workers in the area, which further inhibited access to critical services.

According to OCHA’s Humanitarian Needs Overview for 2020, there are over 94,000 people with significant humanitarian needs in Ulang County, which represents approximately 87% of the estimated population for the county reported in the HNO. The HNO noted that humanitarian needs are particularly prevalent in health and protection.

CONFLICT DYNAMICS

Localized violence, cattle-raiding and revenge killing have occurred between Lou Nuer from Nyirol County and Jikany Nuer from Ulang County. These clashes usually occur in the dry season (December-April) and are generally prompted by disputes over grazing land and water rights as pastoralists from neighbouring counties move closer to the Sobat River and its tributaries. Community consultations conducted in 2012 found that the prevalence of small arms and light weapons, unclear boundaries with neighbouring counties, displacement, and food insecurity were driving these intercommunal tensions (UNDP 2012). These also had knock-on effects on marginalization of youth and violence against women and girls. In mid-April 2016, populations fled Ulang town again after reports of fighting between Lou and Jikany Nuer in the western outskirts of the town. This conflict was prompted when the commissioner of Ulang County sent a letter to his Lou Nuer counterpart in Nyirol County demanding that Lou Nuer herders cease grazing their cattle in Ulang. After the incident the SPLA-IO reported that it had sent soldiers to the town to maintain peace and order. Clashes have also taken place with Murle pastoralists from neighbouring Jonglei State.

Since the outbreak of civil war in December 2013, the southern part of the Upper Nile State’s largely Nuer population – including that of Ulang County – aligned with the SPLA-IO. Fighting between the SPLA and SPLA-IO throughout southern Upper Nile State was one of the principle theatres of conflict in the country. During the early stages of the civil war, neighboring Nasir County was the loci for Nuer ‘White Armies’ mobilization. The ‘White Armies’ is fluid and de-centralized, largely (but not only) dependent on community protection needs, with its leaders selected by its members, and prophets often embedded within the groups. By May 2014, the SPLA had seized control of Nasir town, and it has maintained (periodically contested) control ever since. The army’s relationship with the surrounding population throughout southern Upper Nile State, however, is turbulent and often violent. While the SPLA-IO largely controlled rural areas of southern Upper Nile State, the SPLA remained entrenched in Nasir town, northern Ulang County, and several other towns in the region.

The government decision to change from 10 to 28 states in 2015 created a new state, Latjor, out of the majority-Nuer counties, including Ulang, Nasir, and Longochuk. The demarcation follows a more general pattern wherein South Sudan’s Nuer communities were allocated their ‘own’ ethnic states. The decision to revert back to 10 state arrangement in 2020 has re-integrated Ulang County into Upper Nile State. Since the signing of the revitalized peace agreement in 2018, the situation in Ulang County has largely stabilized. The county is still impacted by inter-communal violence, however, as evidenced in 2019 in Doma, where clashes occurred between Lou and Jikany (Cie-Kueth) youth groups. In this instance, aid workers were relocated, and humanitarian services were impacted.

ADMINISTRATION & LOGISTICS

Payams listed in Government and UN documents: Ulang (County HQ), Doma, Kurmuot, Yomding
Payams listed by local actors: Ulang Town (County HQ), Doma, Nyangore, Ying, Barmach, Kurmout-1, Kurmuot-2, Yomding, Kerchot
Roads:

• The county’s one main road runs through the northern portion of the county, connecting Nasir town to the east to Bailet and Malakal towns to the west. The Logistics Cluster have given the road a “red road closed” warning in both the rainy and dry season.

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

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).

IRNA. (2014). IRNA Report: Mandeng County, Upper Nile 20-21 May 2014. Retrieved from: https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/sites/www.humanitarianresponse.info/files/assessments/20-21.05.2014_IRNA_Mandeng_Final.pdf

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

UNDP. (2012). Community Consultation Report: Upper Nile State, South Sudan. May 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/southsudan/library/Documents/CSAC%20Reports/UNDP-SS-UpperNile-consult-12.pdf

REPORTS on ULANG

Arnold, M & Alden, C. (2007). “The Gun Is Our Food”: Demilitarising the White Army Militas of South Sudan. Retrieved from: https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/35371/722_DemilitarisingWhiteArmyMilitias.pdf

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

Short, A. (2015). Cattle and Pastoralism in Greater Upper Nile Research Report

Young, H. Cormack, Z. (2012). Pastoralism in the New Borderlands: Cross-border Migrations, Conflict and Peace-Building. Retrieved from: https://fic.tufts.edu/assets/Pastoralism-in-the-New-Borderlands.pdf