Akobo was a state in
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...
that existed between 14 January 2017 and 22 February 2020.
History
Akobo County
Akobo County is a county in South Sudan.
Location
The county is located in Jonglei State, in eastern South Sudan, bordering the country of Ethiopia. The county headquarters at Akobo are located approximately , by road, northeast of Juba, the cap ...
was separated from
Bieh State
Bieh State (previously named Eastern Bieh State) was a state in South Sudan that existed between 2 October 2015 and 22 February 2020. It was located in the Greater Upper Nile region and it bordered Fangak State, Fangak to the west, Central Upper N ...
and made a separate state with the increase in the number of states from 28 to 32 on January 14, 2017. Gabriel Gai Riam was appointed governor on January 16, 2017, after the creation of the state, but was removed and replaced by Johnson Gony Bilieu two days later.
Timothy Taban Juch
Timothy Taban Juch (also spelled Timothy Taban Juc) is a South Sudanese politician and the former governor of Akobo State in South Sudan.
Taban was the Jonglei State Minister for Information & Communication, and was appointed the commissioner of ...
was appointed governor on August 19, 2019 after the death of Johnson Gony Bilieu on July 4, 2019.
Upon its creation, a large part of Akobo State was held by the
SPLM-IO
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (abbreviated SPLM-IO), also known as the anti-governmental forces (AGF), is a mainly South Sudanese political party and rebel group that split from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in 20 ...
.
Akobo experienced heavy flooding in late 2019.
Demographics
Akobo State is inhabited by the
Anyuak
The Anyuak, also known as Anyua and Anywaa, are a Luo peoples, Luo Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting parts of East Africa. The Anuak belong to the larger Luo family group. Their language is referred to as Dha-Anywaa. They are primarily found in Gambe ...
and the Lou subgroup of the
Nuer Nuer may refer to:
* Nuer people
* Nuer language
The Nuer language (Thok Naath) ("people's language") is a Nilotic language of the Western Nilotic group. It is spoken by the Nuer people of South Sudan and in western Ethiopia (region of Gamb ...
. Some Anyuak were unhappy with the creation of the state, feeling that it was created for the Lou Nuer, although the feeling was not unanimous among the Anyuak.Anyuak feel betrayed because akobo is their historical land
References
States of South Sudan
{{SouthSudan-stub