19/04/2026
OPEN LETTER: PIGI COUNTY DESERVES ACCESS, NOT DISTANCE
By Ayar Deng Monywach
Sunday, 19/04/2026. The founding vision of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) is clear: take towns to the people, not people to towns. This principle is meant to guarantee equitable access to services, reduce rural-urban migration, and ensure that no community is left behind. Yet today, the people of Pigi County face a reality that stands in direct contradiction to this vision.
Administratively, Pigi County falls under Jonglei State, with its capital in Bor. In practice, however, this arrangement has become a barrier rather than a bridge to service delivery. Traveling to Bor can take up to four days by river or at least two days by land journeys made even more difficult by the absence of reliable road infrastructure.
This is not simply an inconvenience. It is a structural obstacle that limits access to healthcare, education, security, and administrative services. It effectively places citizens at a distance from their own government. At the same time, Malakal in Upper Nile State is geographically closer and far more accessible. As a result, many residents of Pigi County already rely on Malakal for essential services.
This is not a political preference it is a practical reality shaped by geography and necessity. The question, therefore, is not about redrawing boundaries for its own sake. It is about aligning governance with the lived realities of the people. South Sudan has already demonstrated that administrative restructuring is possible. The restoration of the ten states and three administrative areas showed that when national interest and effective governance demand it, decisive action can be taken.
Pigi County presents such a case.
We call on the national leadership to consider administrative realignment based on accessibility and service delivery efficiency. Alternatively, immediate steps must be taken to decentralize services directly to Pigi County so that citizens can access government without enduring extreme hardship.
Ignoring these concerns risks deepening marginalization and weakening trust in public institutions. Responding to them, however, would reaffirm a commitment to fairness, unity, and people centred governance. This is not a call for division. It is a call for dignity. The people of Pigi County are not asking for privilege they are asking for access.
And access is not a favor. It is a right.