(RAJA COUNTY) – Peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) are working to support vulnerable communities in Raja County, Western Bahr el Ghazal State, where residents are facing severe humanitarian challenges worsened by conflict in neighbouring Sudan, poor road conditions and limited government support.
Over the weekend, peacekeepers embarked on a critical four day patrol from Wau to Deim Zubeir, a remote area in the north-west near the Sudan border. The 300 kilometre journey, which would normally take a few hours, now takes an entire day due to crumbling infrastructure and flooded roads filled with muddy potholes. The patrol team included both civilian and uniformed UN staff, many of whom fell sick from mosquito borne malaria and had to be evacuated by helicopter.
The mission aimed to assess the worsening security and humanitarian conditions in the area. Local officials, including Raja County Commissioner Addison Arkangelo Musa, raised concerns about the inaccessibility of roads connecting Raja to Wau and Juba, which they say is limiting trade, service delivery and peacebuilding.
“The road from Raja to Wau and onto the capital Juba is a lifeline for our communities,” Commissioner Musa said. “The conditions are very bad and there is a risk that, at any time during the rainy season, we can be cut off.”
He explained that the poor road network has pushed up the cost of goods and services in the area, with traders raising prices to cover high transportation expenses.
Local authorities say they are doing their best by mobilising youth to manually repair roads using bricks and stones, but lack the necessary technical support, machinery and materials such as cement. Commissioner Musa appealed for help from state and national authorities to restore access and ease the humanitarian burden.
At the nearby Dulu cantonment site, where soldiers are awaiting integration into the National Unified Forces, conditions are equally difficult. Major General Musa Dakumi said his troops are running low on food, medicine and basic supplies.
“We have sent information about the situation to Juba and hope there will be a response soon,” he said. “We remain patient for the sake of peace.”
As communities try to rebuild, UNMISS peacekeepers are offering support aimed at improving food security and restoring livelihoods. Bangladeshi peacekeepers on the patrol donated vegetable seeds to farmers, including 52-year-old Khadija Matar Zubeir, who returned from Sudan after war erupted across the border.
“These seeds will help me make a fresh start and support my children again,” she said. “It brings back my dignity to farm and not rely entirely on aid.”
Major Ataur Suzan, a Bangladeshi peacekeeper, said the donation was part of efforts to promote sustainable farming and peaceful recovery in Raja.
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