Northern Bahr el Ghazal
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Northern Bahr el Ghazal is a
state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...
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 ...
. It has an area of 30,543 km² and is part of the
Bahr el Ghazal Bahr el-Ghazal (Arabic بحر الغزال , also transliterated ''Bahr al-Ghazal'', ''Baḩr al-Ghazāl'', ''Bahr el-Gazel'', or versions of these without the hyphen) may refer to two distinct places, both named after ephemeral or dry rivers. Chad ...
region. It borders
East Darfur East Darfur State ( Wilāyat Šarq Dārfūr; Sharq Darfur) is one of the states of Sudan, and one of five comprising the Darfur region. It was created in January 2012 as a result of the ongoing peace process for the wider Darfur region. The sta ...
in Sudan to the north,
Western Bahr el Ghazal Western Bahr el Ghazal is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of and is the least populous state in South Sudan, according to the controversial Sudanese census conducted in 2008. It is part of the Bahr el Ghazal region. Its capital is Wau. ...
to the west and south, and Warrap and the disputed region of
Abyei The Abyei Area ( ar, منطقة أبيي) is an area of on the border between South Sudan and the Sudan that has been accorded "special administrative status" by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict (Abyei Protocol) in ...
to the east. Aweil is the capital of the state.


History

Because of its proximity to
Kordofan Kordofan ( ar, كردفان ') is a former province of central Sudan. In 1994 it was divided into three new federal states: North Kordofan, South Kordofan and West Kordofan. In August 2005, West Kordofan State was abolished and its territory ...
and the presence of a railway line through it to Wau, it suffered extensively in the 1983–2005 civil war in southern Sudan. North Bahr al Ghazal and adjacent parts of
Western Kordofan West Kordofan ( ar, غرب كردفان; ) is one of the 18 wilayat or provinces of Sudan. In 2006 it had an area of 111,373 km² and an estimated population of approximately 1,320,405. Al-Fulah is the capital of the state. In August 2005, ...
to the north were among the most politically sensitive regions in Sudan. Missriya
Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
from Kordofan have interacted with
Dinka The Dinka people ( din, Jiɛ̈ɛ̈ŋ) are a Nilotic ethnic group native to South Sudan with a sizable diaspora population abroad. The Dinka mostly live along the Nile, from Jonglei to Renk, in the region of Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile (two out ...
in this region over a long time. While relations during the colonial era were largely peaceful, the war saw an upsurge in hostilities. Government backing to the Missriya gave them a decided advantage over local Dinka groups, and raiding by ''murahileen'' militias (and other government backed groups, including some Dinka militias) resulted in considerable loss of life, widespread abduction and pillaging of Dinka villages. Many of these raids coincided with the movement of government trains to and from Kordofan to Wau. It had the highest rate of poverty, 76% according to government statistics, of the 10 states of South Sudan. In October 2015, President Salva Kiir divided the original ten states of South Sudan into 28 states. Northern Bahr el Ghazal was divided into the new states of Aweil,
Aweil East Aweil East also known as Abiem, was a state in South Sudan that existed between 2 October 2015 and 22 February 2020.It had an estimated population of 571,728 people and an area of 6,172.23 KM square. It was located in northern-western South Sudan. ...
, and a part of
Lol LOL, or lol, is an initialism for laughing out loud and a popular element of Internet slang. It was first used almost exclusively on Usenet, but has since become widespread in other forms of computer-mediated communication and even face-to ...
. On 22 January 2020, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, along with the rest of the original ten states of South Sudan, was re-established at the conclusion of a peace agreement resolving the
South Sudanese Civil War The South Sudanese Civil War was a multi-sided civil war in South Sudan between forces of the government and opposition forces. In December 2013, President Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar and ten others of attempting a coup d'état. ...
. Tong Aken Ngor, appointed by President Kiir as Governor of Aweil State in 2019, was sworn in as the
Governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...
in the wake of the state's re-establishment.


Geography

Situated in South Sudan's
Bahr el Ghazal Bahr el-Ghazal (Arabic بحر الغزال , also transliterated ''Bahr al-Ghazal'', ''Baḩr al-Ghazāl'', ''Bahr el-Gazel'', or versions of these without the hyphen) may refer to two distinct places, both named after ephemeral or dry rivers. Chad ...
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
, Northern Bahr el Ghazal occupies a majority of a region that is characterized by
grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...
floodplains A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...
and
tropical savanna Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is dominated by grass and/or shrubs located in semi-arid to semi-humid climate regions of subtropical and t ...
that make up around 33,559 km², extending outward into neighboring
Western Bahr el Ghazal Western Bahr el Ghazal is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of and is the least populous state in South Sudan, according to the controversial Sudanese census conducted in 2008. It is part of the Bahr el Ghazal region. Its capital is Wau. ...
and Warrap. Each
county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
is divided into three geographical areas of different ground and water height. These areas are locally referred to as low-, middle-, or highlands - though there are actually no highlands in the state. The
lowlands Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of p ...
are only accessible during the dry season because annually, from May through November, the areas are flooded. Each county also has their own intermittent rivers that locals use for
drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...
. The
Lol River The Lol River, or Loll River, is a stream in northern South Sudan that feeds the Bahr al-Arab, known locally as the Kiir River. Course The Lol River forms at the convergence of the Chel or Kuru River and the Magadhik River just west of Nyamlell ...
, which crosses the state, is a
tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
of the
Bahr al-Arab Bahr al-Arab ( ar, بحر العرب; also called the Kiir River) is a river which flows approximately through the southwest of Sudan and marks part of its international border with South Sudan. It is part of the Nile river system, being a tri ...
, flowing downstream from
Unity Unity may refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England * Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; ...
, slicing westward through Warrap and Northern Bahr el Ghazal, and ending in Western Bahr el Ghazal.


Hazards

Annual floods are common throughout Northern Bahr el Ghazal, affecting residential areas. In 2008, a flood in
Aweil South County Introduction Aweil South County, sometimes called Paliet, is an administrative area in Northern Barh el Ghazal, South Sudan bordering Warrap State to the south. It is located in the south eastern part of NBGs. It is also known by the name Pali ...
displaced 40,000 people. In 2010, a flood took out 70% of livestock and crops in Aweil South County and Aweil West County; in Aweil, around 60% was destroyed. Thousands of people were greatly affected by the flood in 2010.


Government

Retired Gen. Salva Chol Ayat was the last Acting governor of the state. He replaced Kuel Aguer Kuel in April 2015.The incumbent governor is Hon.
Tong Aken Ngor Tong may refer to: Chinese *Tang Dynasty, a dynasty in Chinese history when transliterated from Cantonese *Tong (organization), a type of social organization found in Chinese immigrant communities *''tong'', pronunciation of several Chinese char ...
.


Administration

Northern Bahr al Ghazal, like other states 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 ...
, is divided into
counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
; there are five counties, headed by a
County Commissioner A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...
, as detailed below: 2008 South Sudan Population Ma By County
/ref> The counties are further divided into '' Payams'', then ''Bomas''.


Infrastructure

By 2009, accessibility of Northern Bahr al Ghazal had been greatly improved. In 2007, the reconstruction of roads and bridges began. All county headquarters across the state were connected by all-weather roads with the exception of Aroyo, then the capital of
Aweil Center County Aweil Center County is an administrative area in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, 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 ...
. In 2019, the
Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
of the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
announced a project to develop multi-purpose water infrastructure in Koum.


References


Books

* Francis M. Deng, 1995, ''War of Visions, Conflict of Identities in the Sudan'', (Washington D.C.: Brookings) * Human Rights Watch, 1999, ''Famine in Sudan, 1998, The Human Rights Causes'', (New York, Human Rights Watch). * Dave Eggers, 2006, ''What is the What'', (New York, Vintage Books). * David Keen, 1994, ''The Benefits of Famine, A Political Economy of Famine and Relief in Southwestern Sudan'', 1983–1989, (New Jersey, Princeton University Press). * Garang Malong, 2012, Theatre of Hope (Nairobi University, Kenya) * Aweil graduates network (2013)


External links

* John Ryle, Jok Madut Jok and Fergus Boyle, 2003
Sudan Abduction and Slavery Project, Abductee Database 2003 Report
* "Northern Bahr el Ghazal State gets in new cabinet

{{DEFAULTSORT:Northern Bahr El Ghazal Northern Bahr el Ghazal, States of South Sudan Bahr el Ghazal