The commissioner of Raja County in Western Bahr el-Ghazal State has appealed to telecommunications companies operating in South Sudan to extend their services and coverage to rural villages in the area.

Commissioner Salah Mameji Mamiri, told Radio Tamazuj last week that many areas in Raja County lack and are in dire need of telecommunications services. 

“We need telecommunication networks. Some areas, including Yabulo, Sofo, Erie, Mangaya, Firca, Timisha, Mboro Madina, and Khor-Shamam, need telecommunication networks,” Commissioner Mamiri said.

He added: “People in these areas need networks and that is why I told our state information minister recently that these areas require the installation of telecommunications networks.” 

Hussien Abdu, a student from Dem-Zubier Payam in Raja County who studies in the state capital, Wau said the absence of the telephone networks back home poses a challenge for him in communicating with his family. 

“The issue of (telephone) network is challenging because as I talk now, I am a student who is schooling in Wau but my parents are in Dem-Zubier. So, it is very hard for me to get information on how my parents are doing back home,” Abdu said.

He said the lack of telecommunication services also means that his parents cannot send him school fees since the network went off in parts of Raja County following the 2013 conflict.