The Government of the People`s Republic of China, through its embassy in Juba, on Monday handed over the newly constructed Clement Mboro Bridge to the Government of South Sudan.

In March 2021, China Tianyuan Construction Group Company Limited, together with China Aid for Shared Future, started the construction of the Clement Mboro Bridge that was recently completed but the handover was done in Juba instead of Wau where the bridge is located.

Speaking during the handover ceremony at the Chinese Embassy in Juba, Ma Qiang, the Ambassador to China to South Sudan, said the handover of the bridge brings a new opportunity for the development of Western Bahr el Ghazal State and South Sudan

“After more than three years of construction and overcoming the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the project was completed as scheduled with great efforts from both sides,” he said. “The project is not only the crystallization of the common wisdom and sweat of the people of both sides, but also another new milestone in the friendship between China and South Sudan.”

Amb. Qiang said during the construction process, workers from China and South Sudan cooperated closely with a total of 76 South Sudanese workers and 35 Chinese workers participating in the project which promoted local employment effectively and built the capacity of local technicians in South Sudan.   

For her part, the Western Bahr el Ghazal State Governor Sarah Cleto Hassan Rial said there is an enormous need for infrastructure development in South Sudan which cannot happen without stability.

She said the Clement Mboro Bridge is very important for communities in the Greater Bahr el Ghazal Region and South Sudan for livelihoods, connectivity, and lasting peace.

“If you read the biography of Clement Mboro, you will be impressed and hope that the people of South Sudan remember him as a unifier and peacemaker. We thank the president, vice presidents, and the entire national cabinet for naming the bridge after one of South Sudan’s heroes. Clement Mboro’s main dream was to make Southern Sudan a free independent state,” Cleto said. “Today we are not witnessing just the handing over of Clement Mboro Bridge but we are witnessing a new milestone in South Sudan-China friendship and it shows the close and deep relations between us. Today symbolizes development and improved prosperity.

“I see there will be many more things we can do together in Western Bahr el Ghazal State,” she added.

The governor urged citizens to embrace peace and stability so that the government can deliver services.

Meanwhile, Rizik Zachariah Hassan, the National Minister of Wildlife and Tourism, apologized to the Chinese construction workers for the confusion and chaos that resulted from the controversy over naming the new bridge from Jur River to Clement Mboro Bridge.

“I have one message to the people of China and that message comes as an apology because of the small friction that happened during the naming and implementation of the project. Our people are peace-loving people. South Sudanese love Chinese because they are practical when it comes to their commitment to projects,” he said. “Our people are peace-loving but it seems there were some misinterpretations which is why the issue of the naming came up as a problem, but in the real sense, there is no problem about that.”

On his part, Simon Mijok Mijak, the National Minister of Roads and Bridges, said the project faced some challenges including the controversy over its name.

“It was me who presented the memo to the cabinet in March 2022 requesting the cabinet to name the bridge. There were many names as I coordinated with the governor and we recommended six names including the name of Salva Kiir,” he explained. “I also requested 5 million U.S. dollars to compensate the people affected by the project because this was part of our commitment. In conclusion and summary, President Salva Kiir said ‘Please Simon, remove my name from the list because I cannot be named while I am still alive.’ He also said the name should go to a South Sudanese veteran who served in the cause of South Sudanese struggle.”

Minister Mijok clarified: “He (Kiir) also said the name of that veteran should come from Wau or Western Bahr el Ghazal so this is how the name of Clement Mboro came in because he was the first South Sudanese who resigned from public service to join politics.”