Leer, South Sudan
Encyclopedia
Leer is a small town in Unity State (or Western Upper Nile) in South Sudan. It is the headquarters of Leer County
.
It is located in Block 5A
, an important oil-producing area in the north of South Sudan.
Leer is a 1.5 hour flight or a two day bus drive from Juba
, the capital of South Sudan.
The roads are not usable in the rainy season, when the only means of travel is by boat on the River Nile.
Leer County has been described as "a sprawling, flat, marshland littered with oil fields".
broke out in 1983 and the break-away Sudan People's Liberation Army
(SPLA) captured Leer in March 1986.
Later the government-backed South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF) militia under Riek Machar
regained control of Block 5A.
Unlike other oilfields, there was no forcible displacement of the civilian population until about 1998, when a new consortium led by the Swedish company Lundin Petroleum
started oil exploration.
At that time a rival Nuer militia under Major General Paulino Matiep began attacking communities in the block, including Leer.
In a series of attacks on Ler starting in April 1998 the Paulino Matiep forces burned the roof of the large brick hospital, destroyed the Catholic church, burned the market and caused much other damage. Later the hospital was razed to the ground.
By July 1998, 250 houses, fifty shops, and 2,500 cattle compounds had been destroyed in Ler town.
The Matiep forces stole or killed cattle and made women act as porters.
By December 1998 the WFP said that Ler, which had once been a center for food and health services, had become a ghost town.
Riek Machar’s SSDF forces became disillusioned with the government and turned to the SPLA.
In July 1999 the government considered that the block had been cleared of the "rebel" SSDF forces.
The area was being held by the Sudanese Armed Forces and Matiep's militia.
However, the SSDF under Commander Tito Biel
had obtained ammunition from their former rivals the SPLA and that month went on the offensive north to Leer, and then on to Duar, Koch, Boaw, and Nhialdiu. In September 1999 the SSDF lost Leer, and were unable to retake the town.
Later the government again lost control.
Despite a cease-fire, in January 2003 the Sudan Government recaptured Leer in a drive to clear the road south from Bentiu
via Koch
and Leer to the port of Adok
on the Nile. The attack appeared to be part of a fresh drive to clear the area for oil exploitation.
After signature of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
in 2005, refugees gradually began to return.
A woman selling milk at the Leer town market in 2010 reported earning the equivalent of $US7 per day, enough to buy sorghum to feed her family in Bathjoop cattle camp, 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) away.
Naath FM, the only community radio station in Leer County, was officially launched in January 2009 although it had already been broadcasting for a year. "Naath" means "citizen" in the language of the local Nuer people.
Security is still poor. On 12 May 2011 recently-planted landmines in the road from Leer to Bentiu
exploded, destroying two vehicles, killing three people and seriously injured others. The border with Sudan to the north was blocked, causing shortages of supplies, and there were rumors that militias were moving south through the county.
was running a large hospital in Leer with about 150 national staff, eight expatriate staff and three regional staff. The hospital has an outpatient department, a medical and surgical inpatient department, an operating theatre, a maternity and antenatal care unit, a therapeutic feeding centre, a tuberculosis program and a laboratory.
The hip-hop star Emmanuel Jal
was born in Leer in the early 1980s, taken from his family to serve as a boy soldier and later helped to move out of the country to Nairobi
where he began his musical career. Jal has funded a charity to build and run The Emma Academy, a school in Leer.
The Leer Primary School, with 4 classrooms, is attended by over 2,000 children.
Most of the classes are taught under the trees.
Jal's GUA Africa charity will build five new classrooms for the primary school.
In phase 2 of the project, GUA hopes to build Leer's first ever secondary school.
Leer County
Leer County is an administrative division of Unity State 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 Payinjiar and Leer and were demanded high bribes from travelers who wanted to pass.In March 2011...
.
Location
Leer is in Dok Nuer territory.It is located in Block 5A
Block 5A, South Sudan
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....
, an important oil-producing area in the north of South Sudan.
Leer is a 1.5 hour flight or a two day bus drive from Juba
Juba
- Locations :* Juba, the capital of South Sudan* Juba, Estonia, a village in Võru Parish, Võru County, Estonia- People :* Juba I of Numidia * Juba II of Numidia * Juba of Mauretania...
, the capital of South Sudan.
The roads are not usable in the rainy season, when the only means of travel is by boat on the River Nile.
Leer County has been described as "a sprawling, flat, marshland littered with oil fields".
Civil war
The Second Sudanese Civil WarSecond Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....
broke out in 1983 and the break-away Sudan People's Liberation Army
Sudan People's Liberation Army
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement is a political party in South Sudan. It was initially founded as a rebel political movement with a military wing known as the Sudan People's Liberation Army estimated at 180,000 soldiers. The SPLM fought in the Second Sudanese Civil War against the Sudanese...
(SPLA) captured Leer in March 1986.
Later the government-backed South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF) militia under Riek Machar
Riek Machar
Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon , is the first vice-president of the independent Republic of South Sudan.Riek Machar obtained a PhD in mechanical engineering in 1984 and then joined the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army during the Second Sudanese Civil War...
regained control of Block 5A.
Unlike other oilfields, there was no forcible displacement of the civilian population until about 1998, when a new consortium led by the Swedish company Lundin Petroleum
Lundin Petroleum
Lundin Petroleum is an independent international petroleum company formed in 2001 and based in Sweden.-History:The company was formed in 2001 following the takeover of Lundin Oil AB by Canadian independent Talisman Energy, Lundin Petroleum AB is a Swedish oil company traded on the Stockholm Stock...
started oil exploration.
At that time a rival Nuer militia under Major General Paulino Matiep began attacking communities in the block, including Leer.
In a series of attacks on Ler starting in April 1998 the Paulino Matiep forces burned the roof of the large brick hospital, destroyed the Catholic church, burned the market and caused much other damage. Later the hospital was razed to the ground.
By July 1998, 250 houses, fifty shops, and 2,500 cattle compounds had been destroyed in Ler town.
The Matiep forces stole or killed cattle and made women act as porters.
By December 1998 the WFP said that Ler, which had once been a center for food and health services, had become a ghost town.
Riek Machar’s SSDF forces became disillusioned with the government and turned to the SPLA.
In July 1999 the government considered that the block had been cleared of the "rebel" SSDF forces.
The area was being held by the Sudanese Armed Forces and Matiep's militia.
However, the SSDF under Commander Tito Biel
Tito Biel
Tito Biel Chuor was a high-ranking commander in the South Sudan Defense Forces during the Second Sudanese Civil War ....
had obtained ammunition from their former rivals the SPLA and that month went on the offensive north to Leer, and then on to Duar, Koch, Boaw, and Nhialdiu. In September 1999 the SSDF lost Leer, and were unable to retake the town.
Later the government again lost control.
Despite a cease-fire, in January 2003 the Sudan Government recaptured Leer in a drive to clear the road south from Bentiu
Bentiu
-Location:Bentiu is located in Rubkona County, Unity State, in northern South Sudan, near the International border with the Republic of Sudan. This location lies approximately , by road, northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in the country. Bentiu sits on the southern banks of the Bahr...
via Koch
Koch, South Sudan
Koch is a community in Unity State, South Sudan, headquarters of Koch County.The community lies in Jagei Nuer territory.It is within the Block 5A oil concession...
and Leer to the port of Adok
Adok
Adok is a port on the White Nile in Jonglei State, South Sudan.In the early 1980's Chevron Corporation found oil in Adok.Adok had strategic value during the Second Sudanese Civil War ....
on the Nile. The attack appeared to be part of a fresh drive to clear the area for oil exploitation.
After signature of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
Comprehensive Peace Agreement
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement , also known as the Naivasha Agreement, was a set of agreements culminating in January 2005 that were signed between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement and the Government of Sudan...
in 2005, refugees gradually began to return.
Economy
The low-lying country around Ler is subject to flooding in the later part of the rainy season, so crops must be planted early. Alternative sources of food if the floods arrive too soon include hunting, fishing and collection of edible wild plants.A woman selling milk at the Leer town market in 2010 reported earning the equivalent of $US7 per day, enough to buy sorghum to feed her family in Bathjoop cattle camp, 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) away.
Naath FM, the only community radio station in Leer County, was officially launched in January 2009 although it had already been broadcasting for a year. "Naath" means "citizen" in the language of the local Nuer people.
Security is still poor. On 12 May 2011 recently-planted landmines in the road from Leer to Bentiu
Bentiu
-Location:Bentiu is located in Rubkona County, Unity State, in northern South Sudan, near the International border with the Republic of Sudan. This location lies approximately , by road, northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in the country. Bentiu sits on the southern banks of the Bahr...
exploded, destroying two vehicles, killing three people and seriously injured others. The border with Sudan to the north was blocked, causing shortages of supplies, and there were rumors that militias were moving south through the county.
Health and education
As of 2010, Médecins Sans FrontièresMédecins Sans Frontières
' , or Doctors Without Borders, is a secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland...
was running a large hospital in Leer with about 150 national staff, eight expatriate staff and three regional staff. The hospital has an outpatient department, a medical and surgical inpatient department, an operating theatre, a maternity and antenatal care unit, a therapeutic feeding centre, a tuberculosis program and a laboratory.
The hip-hop star Emmanuel Jal
Emmanuel Jal
Emmanuel Jal is a South Sudanese musician and former child soldier.-Childhood:Born in the village of Tonj in Southern Sudan, Jal was a young child when the Second Sudanese Civil War broke out. His father joined the Sudan People's Liberation Army and when he was about seven years old his mother...
was born in Leer in the early 1980s, taken from his family to serve as a boy soldier and later helped to move out of the country to Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
where he began his musical career. Jal has funded a charity to build and run The Emma Academy, a school in Leer.
The Leer Primary School, with 4 classrooms, is attended by over 2,000 children.
Most of the classes are taught under the trees.
Jal's GUA Africa charity will build five new classrooms for the primary school.
In phase 2 of the project, GUA hopes to build Leer's first ever secondary school.