Jonglei Governor visit road reconstruction site

By Philip Thon Aleu

August 8, 2009 (BOR TOWN) – Jonglei Governor Kuol Manyang Juuk paid a visit to devastated road being reconstructed by Rhino Stars company on Wednesday.

Rhino Stars – an indigenous Company for roads, bridges and houses construction started off loading and compacting soils on this road that links Jonglei capital Bor to Malakal, capital of Unity State early July, 2009. It’s also the gateway to Juba, Central Equatoria state from Bor.

Admiring the work done on this part of the highway, Mr. Manyang praises the local firm. Resident Director of Rhino star, Bol Ajoung, was present when the state leader heading a team of state chiefs and journalists toured construction at Baidit Payam – 20 km south of state capital Bor Town.

With the help of road machines; the bulldozers, rollers, tippers and excavators the road comes to live. A distance that lasted 30 minutes in March, 2009 when the road was “dead” only takes 5 minutes for the drivers to start engine and releases a brake pad.

Gov. Kuol, who also visited this village when flood detached huts from the soil in August, 2008, could not believes his eyes.

“This road was completely damaged,” Gov. Kuol told new minister of physical infrastructure Deng Alier Mading.

Being a home company, Rhino stars commenced reconstruction with a small percentage of the money needed. Gov. Kuol lauded Mr. Peter Atem Ngor, the managing director and also the founder of the company, for understanding the difficulty that Jonglei cannot meet huge funding in short time. He promised to work closely with South Sudan officials to secure some money.

Eng. Otim Jimmy, the site responsible, told the Sudan Tribune that the company is committed to qualitative construction. The clay-muddy soil of Jonglei has ever challenged road maintenance. Car capsizing is common on rainy days due to slipper loamy soil.

A good engineer must work extra by taking many samples of soil in many places to obtain a sustainable road shape – the attainable tarmac is ‘marram road.’ The width of the road is 15 meters and 1.5m high according to engineers. A distance of 8 km is in the agreement of Jonglei with Rhino Stars for reconstruction. Rhino Stars, however, discovered that 10 km must be covered based on the distance between the two points agreed.

The significance of this part of the road is that it serves as the high way to Malakal and connects Bor County to Twic East, Duk, Ayod and Piegi Counties. The highway collapsed in 2008 when flood carried away the compacted soil known as road. Transport came to a stand still most of that year. Sailors and car passengers waved at each other when the road became ‘stream’ at a depth of 4 meters. Crocodiles, fishes and other reptiles shared the path with non-cold-blooded animals – world we share!

However, the length contracted is too insufficient to serve most of the people in Jonglei state but a good beginning.

The existence of a good road network in the state is seen as necessary to allow the state government to react quickly to tribal violence and dispatches troops to stop tribal fighting. The existence of such infrastructure will help to impose security and dissuade assailants.

(ST)

8 Forum messages

Jonglei Governor visit road reconstruction site 9 August 2009 06:09, by Kur

We urge the government of South Sudan to encourage Southern Sudanese to establish local companies so that we can do our own work with little influence from anybody. We have enough resources to enable us build strong economy. I think in few years’ time they will be looking at us with envious eyes as our economy grows to its full potential.

Kur

Jonglei Governor visit road reconstruction site 9 August 2009 08:31, by Mabior Ayuen Dengajok

Jonglei State government should create new taxation on livestock

People should not be trick around that the recent out break violence in Jonglei State was tribal war, this is not the case essentially, the Khartoum government has this strategy of sponsoring militia groups as well as arming ethnic tribes in the region of Jonglei State to come and attack Southern Sudan ethnic tribes, along with this turn out to confusion when all ethnic groups end up by putting blame on each other, so those tribes will fight themselves for a revenge, Bor tribe might think this attack is either Nuer, Murle or Nuer may think the same way and each group will want to make possible attack.
However, the reason behind this is a well propaganda operation that could root severe damage on GOSS Government of South Sudan leadership as everything whether good or bad reaches media quickly and I call this “great damages on government reputation”.

This topical aggression is weakening the government ability to perform it fundamental system, such as building roads, hospitals, education facilities and indeed, free trade among tribes with in and out side the region of Jonglei and entire South Sudan.
The Government of South Sudan should know this already, find ways to tackle this issue seriously, for instance, if cattle are the most causes of tribal conflict, well every livestock owners must be register inclusive their belongings besides, given period must be made to check the each individual owners if their livestock’s increases, if so, the investigation must be made how the owner get other livestock from.
Government can also create taxation on livestock, this could create revenue for government therefore, it’s will create jobs for those who are monitoring account owners of livestock plus regulate them to have paddocks using fences system, this will make it hard for raiders to steal or raids, in addition to that, Securing all borders is another key point of preventing arms from reaching civilians.

Both GOSS and State governors must find solution for this; it’s not easy to loosed huge number of people every time, those dead civilians could have help us wining referendum through voting.
It’s really disturbing when many dies and government seem to have no clue what to do in order to prevent it from happening, it’s not just by speaking out, but we all need action.
Nothing is made every time there is tribal war, is it luck of insufficient time to put law and orders or Judicial Commission into effective?
- Jonglei Governor visit road reconstruction site 9 August 2009 10:25, by Arthur Bulo
  
  It has become common habit for some of us to accuse other communities of being militia group supported by Khartoum, especially when these communities are not in good terms with them.This old fashioned concept has ausual devastating effect on every effort aimed at bringing unity and harmony to the people in Jonglei state. For instance the recent attack launched by the Murle against Lounuers were triggered by unjustified killings of six Murle men by Lounuer armed youths inside Murle territory and the SPLA soldiers who were accompanying Lounuers into Murle land for an alledged fishing purposes did nothing to stop the killing of the six Murle men.therefore it should be admitted that the attack against Lounuers was a retaliatory one carried out by relatives of the Murle victims.Khartoum has ordered for non of the two incidenet as preferabally viewd by many illmotivated fools like the contributer above .
- Jonglei Governor visit road reconstruction site 10 August 2009 09:21, by Peter Nhiany
  
  Good point brother Mabior Ayuen Dengajok. I was going to recommend the samething you have stated. Taxation is the way our local government can develop their communities.
  
  Mr.Government should impose taxation on every working citizen of Jonglei to help to support the infrastructure projects. Not only cattle sale tax could be impose.
  
  Any tax money can supplement government assistance to the State. I love to see our brothers and sisters who are earning some income to pay taxes to the State for development. Jonglei must develop.
  
  Peter.
Jonglei Governor visit road reconstruction site 9 August 2009 09:39, by Sala Gai

Dear Jonglei Governor Kuol Manyang

It’s the wonderful for you Governor to visit the constructor that link unity state,Jonglei state,central EQ while living the fighting continous in the area.
this is the shame on u Kuol.
- Jonglei Governor visit road reconstruction site 9 August 2009 10:21, by ayuairech
  
  Thanks to jonglei state governor Kuol Manyang . May this project be completed successfully with out any hindrance.
  - Jonglei Governor visit road reconstruction site 9 August 2009 12:00, by Ajuscommando
    
    Dear Muslim Arab by name Sala Gai, don’t balme Kuol Manyang on fighting which took place in Akobo between Nuer and Murle attacks. I know You are from Nuer and you people have hand in all these problem of Jonglei conflict. If you want to blame somebody for Jonglei conflict than blame your uncle Riek Machar who taught Murle on the killing innocent civilians. Murle have learned killing of innocent civilian through Riek machar with his criminals from Nuer who did messes killing in 1990s in Bor community and others part of the South. A shame on you to cry for those innocnet civilians who died in Akoboo since Nuer was the one who did first attack to Murle land in Feb-2009. Both Murle and Nuer depend on stealing so you continues with that spirit of theft while you don’t want to work hard like others communities.
    
    Ajus

Jonglei Governor visit road reconstruction site 10 August 2009 00:27, by J.James

Hi All

In fact the killing of any innocent live is very regretable and and such kind of death must be avoided by any means. However, people need sometimes to be careful reporting and commenting to the articles because I discovered that most of the news edited here normally take different anglee.

I was shamed to respond to the premature statement from UN secretary genreal on his condemnation of the Lou Nuer, Murle killings before weighing the matter. I don’t think Mr. Ban Ki is qualified enough as UN general based on his current stand because somebody in his position can jump into conclusion way ahead like that.

I urge Mr. secretary to be patient when it comes to tribal issues. I think now he heard that Murle did not attack Lou Nuer at their villages but deep inside Murle terrotory. And as we all know, no body allow his attacker to come and roam around his backyard without trying to repel him away and that is exactly what happen because Murle though that Lou Nuer may try to regroup and launch at attack against their villages if they don’t chase them away, of which it is likely since no one know what it was going to happen if Lou Nuer were allowed to station there for sometimes.

I am also sure that everybody can do exactly that because I dond’t think Americans can allow Taliban to come and loiter at DC streets, not Britishs or Austrialians.

Please Mr. Bak-Ki try to be fair and realistic.

God bless