The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Wednesday handed over the 48-kilometer road linking Pagol County in Warrap State to Kuajina Payam in Western Bahr el Ghazal state.
Speaking during the handover ceremony in Kuajina Payam, IOM’s representative in South Sudan, Riad Marrow, said his organization’s projects in the country focus on peace, reconciliation, conflict management, and reconciliation interventions among local communities.
“This project provides a lot of peace support, conflict management, and reconciliation intervention among the communities, IOM’s Marrow said. “When we are talking about roads, everybody will talk about transportation between the two but this road is much more than transportation.”
He said the two counties are now getting supplies from one another.
The governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal State, Sarah Cleto, thanked IOM for rehabilitating the road and said it will improve connectivity in the state.
“Thank you for the work that you have done. It was critical to build this road that can enhance connectivity among the local communities within our state and between our neighboring states,” Governor Cleto said. “Cross border infrastructure promotes regional integration within greater Bahr el Ghazal which is also necessary.”
“The Kuajina communities are now receiving fresh fish from the Pagol communities and you can see the youth moving freely doing sports between the two communities as well as other activities that improve the links between the two communities,” Marrow added.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Kuajina Paramount chief, Amet Bol Awac, said they have already united with the neighboring Pagol community.
“I do not have much to say, I am just happy that we are united with the people of Pagol,” Chief Bol said. “I recently went there and I was warmly welcomed like a governor and we stayed there peacefully.”
The chief appealed to the UN agencies to also provide water sources along the road.
“The issue of water is a very big problem up to my Boma of Warbiet and this road passes there. I need you to provide us with water sources along the road,” he said. “To the state governments, we also need hospitals and school facilities which were destroyed during the conflict to be rehabilitated.”
For his part, the Pagol community Paramount chief, Ajing Madut, said the two communities are now at peace.
“I like that we have understood each other and I do not want people quarreling and saying that Ajing is a bad person, I am not bad it is only that the whole nation is at risk due to many criminals,” Chief Madut said. “We (Pagol community) have signed peace with the people of Kuajina.”
The road was rehabilitated through the support of the United Nations Multi-Partners Trust fund on reconciliation, stabilization, and resilience under the project mitigating cattle-related violence at the border of Western Bahr el Ghazal and Warrap states.