Aweil North County orders citizens to share basic services with Sudanese nomads

(radiotamazuj.org)

Authorities in Aweil North County, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, have ordered citizens there to share basic services such as water points, health services, and grazing lands with their Sudanese Rizeigat nomads who migrated into the area mid last month.

Victerino Ken Akoon, the Aweil North County Commissioner, told Radio Tamazuj Monday that the Rizeigat tribesmen arrived in his area last month and he issued a local order to allow the nomads access the basic services.

“The Rizeigat cattle keepers are residing in many areas like Jaac, Kiir Kangbek, Kiir Adem, Mayom Angok, Jorbioch, Mangok Dengdit, and Kiir Pal,” Commissioner Ken said. “They need services because they became part of the South Sudanese so they need clean water and have the right to get medicines at local hospitals if they are sick.”

“So we ordered administrators in different payams to allow them to get the drugs freely and access the water points, these are the services we offer to them including security,” he added.

For his part, Anguei Noon Atak, the leader of the joint border peace committee, said the Rizeigat are occupying the western parts of the county and that they had cordial relations with the locals.

“The Rizeigat cattle keepers have arrived in the western parts of Aweil North County and I am currently in a meeting with about seventeen heads of cattle camps,” Noon said. “Our relations are good and people move about with no problems at all. The Dinka Malual and Rizeigat enjoy the same services.”

The Rizeigat tribal representative, Al-Hadi Abdallah Akech, confirmed that around 80,000 families of the cattle keepers arrived from East Darfur State in Sudan to Aweil North County.

“Yes, all cattle herders in the East Darfur State of Sudan have arrived in Northern Bahr el Ghazal with over 70,000-80,000 families and we were welcomed positively by the Dinka Malual and we feel part of this country (South Sudan),” Abdallah said.

“Our message to the People of Sudan and South Sudan is that we want permanent stability, peaceful coexistence, and good social fabric. And our special message to other people is to copy the model of peaceful coexistence between the Rizeigat and Dinka Malual sections,” he added.