Unity State, also known as Western Upper Nile, is a
state in
South Sudan. Unity state is in the
Greater Upper Nile region. Unity is inhabited predominantly by two ethnic groups: the
Nuer Nuer may refer to:
* Nuer people
* Nuer language
The Nuer language (Thok Naath) ("people's language") is a Nilotic language of the Western Nilotic group. It is spoken by the Nuer people of South Sudan and in western Ethiopia (region of Gambela ...
majority, and the
Dinka minority.
In 2015, a presidential decree established a new system of 28 states, replacing the previously established 10. Unity state was replaced by the states of
Ruweng,
Northern Liech
Northern Liech was a state in South Sudan that existed between 2 October 2015 and 22 February 2020. It was located in the Greater Upper Nile region and it bordered Ruweng to the north, Western Bieh to the east, Southern Liech to the south, Tonj ...
and
Southern Liech
Southern Liech State was a state in South Sudan that existed between 2 October 2015 and 22 February 2020. It was located in the Greater Upper Nile region and it bordered Northern Liech to the north, Western Bieh to the east, Jonglei to the southea ...
. Unity State was re-established by a peace agreement signed on 22 February 2020 with smaller boundaries as the northern part of the former state became the
Ruweng Administrative Area
The Ruweng Administrative Area is an administrative area in South Sudan. The area was known as Ruweng State between 2 October 2015 and 22 February 2020 when it was a state of South Sudan.
History
On 1 October 2015, President Salva Kiir issued a ...
.
Administrative divisions
The capital of Unity state is
Bentiu
Bentiu, also spelled Bantiu, is a city in South Sudan and capital of the state of Unity State.
Location
Bentiu is located in Rubkona County, Unity State, in northern South Sudan, near the international border with the Republic of the Sudan. It li ...
. Before an administrative reorganization in 1994, Unity was part of a much larger province of Upper Nile, and the state was sometimes called Western Upper Nile.
The counties of Unity were:
*
Guit County
*
Koch County
Koch County is an administrative division of Unity State, South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Et ...
*
Leer County
Leer County is an administrative division of Western Upper Nile in South Sudan. The headquarters are in the town of Leer.
In December 2009 that traffic police had established road blocks along the road between Panyijar County and Leer and were d ...
*
Mayiandit County
Mayiandit County ( Haak County) is a county in Unity State, South Sudan. Before the reorganisation of states in 2015, it was a part of Unity State
Unity State, also known as Western Upper Nile, is a state in South Sudan. Unity state is in t ...
*
Mayom County
Mayom County is an administrative region in Unity of South Sudan to the west of Bentiu. The county headquarters is Mayom town.
Location
Mayom County is in the northwest of Unity State.
The largest town is Mayom. Other towns are Tam, Mankien ...
*
Panyijar County
Payinjiar County is a county in Unity State, South Sudan.
Payinjiar County was "once a thriving agricultural area before decades of war forced inhabitants to migrate elsewhere."
"The United Nations says that up to 40,000 people are displaced t ...
*
Rubkona County
The larger towns were
Bentiu
Bentiu, also spelled Bantiu, is a city in South Sudan and capital of the state of Unity State.
Location
Bentiu is located in Rubkona County, Unity State, in northern South Sudan, near the international border with the Republic of the Sudan. It li ...
,
Mayom,
Rubkona
Rubkona (or ''Rub Kona'', ''Rub-Koni'') is a town in Unity State, South Sudan. It lies on the northern bank of the Bahr el Ghazal River, connected via the ''El Salaam Bridge'' (The Peace Bridge) to the state capital, Bentiu.
This bridge was bomb ...
and
Leer.
Other towns were
Riangnom,
Rub-Koni
Rubkona (or ''Rub Kona'', ''Rub-Koni'') is a town in Unity State, South Sudan. It lies on the northern bank of the Bahr el Ghazal River, connected via the ''El Salaam Bridge'' (The Peace Bridge) to the state capital, Bentiu.
This bridge was bomb ...
,
Yoahnyang,
Tam,
Mankien
Mankien (or Mankin) is a community in Unity state in South Sudan. With a key location near the oil fields, the town changed hands more than once during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005). In April 2011 the town was once again the scene of c ...
,
Wang-Kay,
Koch
Koch may refer to:
People
* Koch (surname), people with this surname
* Koch dynasty, a dynasty in Assam and Bengal, north east India
* Koch family
* Koch people (or Koche), an ethnic group originally from the ancient Koch kingdom in north east I ...
,
Nyal and
Ganyliel.
Economy
Agriculture was the state's primary economic activity. The people of the state were
nomadic agro-pastoralists who engaged in both agriculture and rearing of livestock, especially cattle. Farming was conducted during the rainy season although some cultivation also occurs during summer. Vegetables were not widely cultivated as most farmers were rural rather than urban and therefore lacked access to markets for their produce. Some NGOs introduced farmers to the practice of cultivation for market.
Oil fields
Southern Sudan's first
oil reserves were discovered here during the 1970s. The international oil companies which engaged in oil exploration contributed to massive displacement of the indigenous population.
In the state were some rich oilfields, including
Unity oilfield
The Unity oil field is a major oil field in the Ruweng Administrative Area, South Sudan. It lies to the north of the state capital Bentiu in Rubkona County.
The oil field, and the Heglig field further north, were discovered by Chevron Corporati ...
and most of
Block 5A
Block 5A is an oil concession in South Sudan.
After oil field development began during the Second Sudanese Civil War, Block 5A was the scene of extensive fighting as rival militias struggled for control.
Out of an original population of 240,000, a ...
. The Unity oilfield is within the largest hydrocarbon accumulation in the
Muglad rift basin and contains an estimated of oil.
[NPA Group 2008]
'Sudan - Muglad Basin'
, ''www.npagroup.co.uk'', 27 February. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
The
Greater Nile Oil Pipeline
The Greater Nile Oil Pipeline is an important oil export pipeline in Sudan. It extends for approximately of which approximately 1.8 kilometres is submarine. It was constructed by the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company (GNPOC) and commenc ...
begins in the Unity oilfield.
See also
*
2007 Sudan floods
On 3 July 2007, flash floods during Sudan's rainy season devastated much of the country's central, southern, and western regions. The Sudanese government referred to the floods as the "worst in living memory".
An estimated 200,000 Sudanese were ...
*
Greater Nile Oil Pipeline
The Greater Nile Oil Pipeline is an important oil export pipeline in Sudan. It extends for approximately of which approximately 1.8 kilometres is submarine. It was constructed by the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company (GNPOC) and commenc ...
References
External links
* USAID 2001
'Sudan: Oil and gas concession holders' (map) University of Texas Library. (Map shows location of oil field. Note that state borders are out of date.)
{{South Sudan political divisions
States of South Sudan
Greater Upper Nile