Pochalla (also Pochala, Pochella, Pachella) is a town 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 th ...

Location

Pochalla is located in

Pochalla County Pochalla is a county in Pibor Administrative Area, South Sudan. The capital of the state, where the governor and state parliament is located, is in Bor town, which is situated on the Nile River at the western end of the state. Pochalla is to the ...

Boma State Boma or BOMA may refer to: People * Boma Akpore, Nigerian actor * Boma Iyaye (born 1969), Nigerian accountant and politician Places * Boma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, a port city ** Boma Airport near Boma, Congo * Boma, Ghana, a town ...

, in eastern

, on the International border with

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. The town sits on the eastern edge of

Boma National Park Boma National Park is a protected area in eastern South Sudan near the Ethiopian border. It was established in 1977 and covers of grasslands and floodplains. Wildlife The park is an important refuge for white-eared kob, tiang, and Mongalla g ...

. This location lies approximately , by road, northeast of

Juba Juba () is the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria State. It is the world's newest capital city to be elevated as such, and had a populatio ...

, the capital and largest city in

History

During the

Second Sudanese Civil War The Second Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. It was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originate ...

(1983 - 2005), Pochalla witnessed many atrocities and tragedies, as did most

ese towns. The town and surrounding communities was home to the Anyuak of South Sudan. In January 2004, there were reports of Anuak refugees arriving at Pochalla who had fled southwestern

as a consequence of the violent clashes between "highlanders" (Ethiopians originating from outside the

Gambela Region The Gambela Region (also spelled Gambella; am, ጋምቤላ), officially the Gambela Peoples' Region, is a regional state in western Ethiopia, bordering South Sudan. Previously known as Region 12, its capital is Gambela. The Region is situated ...

) and Anyuak that had erupted in and around Gambela after the killing of eight Ethiopian Government refugee camp officials on 13 December 2003."Relief Bulletin", 16 January 2004
UN-OCHA (accessed 27 February 2009)

Transport

The town is served by Pochalla Airport. The road network around Pochalla is very rudimentary.

In Popular Culture

Pochalla is a destination for the many South Sudanese who are chronicled in the nonfiction book "Lost Boy, Lost Girl: Escaping Civil War in Sudan."

References

{{reflist Pibor Administrative Area