The construction of the airstrip in Abiemnhom County in the Ruweng Administrative Area was completed last week a year since works kicked off, an official said.
Matiop Dang Deng, the commissioner of Abiemnhom County, on Wednesday, told Radio Tamazuj that the Abiemnom Airstrip construction was finished after 15 months since works started in February 2023. He said the contract to develop the airstrip was awarded to Amocki Company.
“We are very happy to have a new airstrip which was completed by Amocki Company this month. The airstrip will help us because it is the first one of its kind in the area since the independence of South Sudan. Planes will start landing in the next two weeks,” he said. “The two counties Abiemnhom and Amongpieny contributed 30 percent of their share from oil revenues because we have 5 percent of the revenue from crude oil as oil producing areas for local development. The Ruweng Administrative Area government contributed 40 percent towards the construction of Abiemnhom Airstrip.”
Dang added: “The Abiemnhom Airstrip is 1,000 meters long.”
The official said the inhabitants of the area will use the airstrip for quick transportation and medical evacuations.
Meanwhile, Nyok Kuol Chubkuer, a resident of Abiemnhom County, said the local people are happy because the Abiemnom Airstrip has been completed.
“The community of Abiemnhom is very excited by the completion of the airstrip. It is the Government of Ruweng Administrative Area that came up with the positive initiative to construct the first airstrip in the history of Ruweng since it was created as an independent administrative unit,” he said. “During the rainy season, people cannot travel between Abiemnhom, Ruweng, Unity State, and Warrap State due to inaccessible roads. If there are patients, we could not send them to Juba due to bad roads and lack of an airstrip in the past, but now when the airstrip is open, we will celebrate.”
Kuol added: “I thank the Ruweng administrator for constructing this important airstrip for us communities of the counties of Amongpieny and Abiemnhom.”