South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng
The Member of Parliament representing Twic East County in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly Hon. Deng Dau Deng, has revealed that the government’s decision to establish new bomas and payams in Jonglei State is a strategic initiative designed to encourage the return of displaced citizens.
He stated that these new administrative units will foster a sense of belonging, enhance service delivery, and provide hope to the thousands of South Sudanese currently living in IDP and refugee camps in neighbouring countries.
“One of our strategies is to create these units so that our communities in the diaspora, particularly in Africa, in the refugee camps in Uganda, Kenya, and beyond, as well as the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) within the country, can return home,” Deng said during a gathering on Saturday at the APT Centre in Juba, celebrating the establishment of the Peny Miir boma.
“We reaffirm our commitment as the Twic East community to advance the vision of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) at the grassroots level. Our people have been displaced for the last 34 years,” he added.
The new administrative units have received mixed reactions from community members and civil society, with some viewing them as a positive development and others labelling them as divisive. However, the aim is to strengthen local administration and service delivery.
Deng extended his congratulations to President Salva Kiir Mayardit for creating a conducive environment for implementing the SPLM’s vision, which establishes bomas and payams as the foundational levels of administration at the county level.
He also revealed that the new boma, named “Peny Miir,” located within Kongor Payam in Twic East County, has a population of approximately 15,000 people and is home to 150 graduates.
“I would like to thank His Excellency the President for decentralising South Sudan into 79 counties, along with the establishment of numerous payams and bomas. We are proud to celebrate the creation of a new boma,” he concluded.
