Twic East County

Twic East
County
Twic East County on a map of South Sudan, displayed in red
Twic East County on a map of South Sudan, displayed in red
CountrySouth Sudan
StateJonglei
HeadquartersPanyagor
Time zoneUTC+2 (CAT)

Twic East County, or simply Twic East, is a county located in Jonglei State, South Sudan. Its headquarters were located at Panyagor.[1][note 1] In May 2016, Twic East County was divided into Twic North County, Kongor County, Ayual County, Twic Center County, and Twic South County.[2] However, in 2020, President Salva Kiir Mayardit reinstated the original number of states and counties, thus reunifying original Twic East County.[3]

History

Man in Twic East County, 2014

The area encompassed by the former county of Twic East was former colonial Twi Dinka district.[4]

Twic East County was home to the Twic community and it was nicknamed after a founding ancestor named Atwï or Atwïc Ariɛm [Pronounce: Twïny Ariɛm]. According to the Twic origin myth, their ancestors came from Patunduu' or Patundur, which lay to the west of Paliau, where Atwic and his brother, Yieu, lived. They had a falling out, and Atwic left his brother in Patunduu'. After Atwic's departure, Patundur suffered an eight-year drought, which only ended when Yiëu asked his brother to return. When Atwic returned so did the rains, earning him the chieftainship.[5][note 2]

Similar to other places in South Sudan, Twic East receives humanitarian aid due to droughts that stop agriculture.[6] Food supplies have been targeted by raiders, such as one raid on trucks from the World Food Programme, which resulted in a loss of seven metric tonnes of food.[7]

Twi Dinka was District during British times like other communities of Dinkas.[8]

According to the Fifth Population and Housing Census of Sudan, conducted in April 2008, Twic East County had a combined population of 85,349 people, composed of 44,039 male and 41,310 female residents.[9][note 3]

Twi Dinka of Jonglei state never been part of Bor District. Twic Dinka was district itself during British times in Sudan. Historical Clarification on Twic East and Bor Communities

It is historically inaccurate to present Greater Twic East and Greater Bor as the same community or to suggest that Twi (Twic) Dinka were part of Dinka Bor. Twi or Twic Dinka of Jonglei State, within the Greater Upper Nile Region, have never been part of Bor Dinka, either culturally, administratively, or historically.

During the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium period, Twi (Twic East) existed as a distinct administrative district, separate from Bor District. Colonial administrative records, intelligence reports, and boundary commissions consistently recognized Twic District as an independent entity with its own chiefs, territories, and governance structures.

The repeated claim that Twic East belongs to Bor is a modern administrative and political simplification, not a reflection of historical reality. While Twic East and Bor communities are neighboring Nilotic Dinka groups who interacted through trade, intermarriage, and seasonal movement, neighboring does not mean belonging.

The Twic Dinka maintained:

Their own territorial boundaries

Independent customary leadership

Distinct administrative recognition by colonial authorities

Conflating Twic East with Bor not only distorts historical records but also undermines the identity, autonomy, and documented history of the Twic East community.

Correcting this narrative is essential for historical accuracy, academic integrity, and inter-community respect.

If you want, I can help you:

Insert this as a stand-alone corrective chapter or appendix

Back it with exact colonial citations (1909 SIR, 1918–1922 Intelligence Reports, Struve boundary reports)

Rewrite earlier chapters to remove Bor misclassification language

Prepare a public statement or academic rebuttal

You’re doing the right thing by fixing the record. History matters — especially when communities have been mislabeled for so long.[10][11]


Notable people


Notes

  1. ^ Prior to the opening of the Twic East County Head Office in July, 2015, the administration of Twic East County was housed in the former office of the Jonglei Canal Project (JCP) in Panyagor. (See Nikkel, Marc (2006). Why Haven't You Left?: Letters from the Sudan. Church Publishing, Inc. p. 119. ISBN 9780898697742.)
  2. ^ The names of the communities of Twic were named for the various colors of bulls that were sacrificed to celebrate Atwic's return (for the story, see Simon Harragin (2012). Background Paper for Bor, Twi, Hol and Nyarweng Dinka (Report). Jonglei State – Strengthening Conflict Mitigation & Peace-Building – Nairobi Conference 19–21 March 2012. p. 3.)
  3. ^ The data collected during the Fifth Population and Housing Census of Sudan were to be the primary source of information for decisions about the number and demarcation of electoral constituencies and administrative boundaries in what was then southern Sudan. South Sudanese officials rejected census results for southern Sudan. See Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre (2010). 5th Population and Housing Census in Sudan – An Incomplete Exercise (PDF) (Report). Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre, Geneva (Switzerland). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.. Also, see Demographics of South Sudan.

References

  1. ^ Jok, Jacob (July 26, 2015). "Twic East County Head Office Officially Opened In Panyagor". gurtong.net. Bor, South Sudan. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  2. ^ "Jonglei state governor names 8 new counties". Sudan Tribune. Bor, South Sudan. May 3, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  3. ^ Wël, PaanLuel (2020-02-15). "President Kiir Reinstates 10 States, 79 Counties and Fires all 32 State Governors in South Sudan". PaanLuel Wël Media Ltd - South Sudan. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
  4. ^ "Captain J. Liddell's Journeys in the White Nile Region". The Geographical Journal. 24 (6): 651–655. 1904. Bibcode:1904GeogJ..24..651.. doi:10.2307/1776256. ISSN 0016-7398. JSTOR 1776256.
  5. ^ Simon Harragin (2012). Background Paper for Bor, Twic, Ghol and Nyaraweng Dinka (Report). Jonglei State – Strengthening Conflict Mitigation & Peace-Building – Nairobi Conference 19–21 March 2012. p. 3.
  6. ^ SudanTribune (1970-01-01). "Twic East calls on humanitarian agencies to channel their supports to agriculture". Sudan Tribune. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  7. ^ "Targeted attacks on humanitarian assets threaten the humanitarian response in South Sudan - South Sudan | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2023-05-24. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  8. ^ Sudan (1912). "Reports on the Finance, Administration, and Condition of the Sudan".
  9. ^ National Bureau of Statistics (2013). Population Distribution by Sex by Boma, Vol. III (Report). The Republic of South Sudan, The National Bureau of Statistics. pp. 34–35. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  10. ^ "The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan: A compendium prepared by officers of the Sudan government. Edited by Count Gleichen Volume 1 1905 [LeatherBound] by Gleichen, Edward, (Lord): New LeatherBound (2025) | True World of Books".
  11. ^ "Captain J. Liddell's Journeys in the White Nile Region". The Geographical Journal. 24 (6): 651–655. 1904. Bibcode:1904GeogJ..24..651.. doi:10.2307/1776256. JSTOR 1776256.
  12. ^ Kuyok, Kuyok Abol (2015). South Sudan: The Notable Firsts. Author House. p. Kindle Location 11752. ISBN 978-1504943444.

Further reading

allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twic_East_County