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By SRS
Posted to the web on October 6, 2010 |
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October 6, 2010 ( AKOBO) - The newly constructed Akobo county commission headquarters and the renovated airstrip were opened on Saturday, to help mitigate conflict between warring communities neighboring Akobo in Jonglei state.
The construction which was carried out by the youths from Lou Nuer and Jikany who were once fighting one another was supported by the USAID which injected one point three million US dollars into the project.
Merv Coop, who is the head of AECOM, a USAID implementing partner said the same project will be replicated in Pibor county.
[Merv Coop]: “What USAID has done here is putting the emphasis on local government by giving them capacity and presence to function to support their traditional authorities to be able to deal with cases of cattle looting, marriages, and elopement problems and to get youths at work. We are going to do the same thing in Pibor county. We have already started by having some youths to start working on small roads and dams. We are going to help rehabilitate the county headquarters and give them new equipment and furniture; we are going to build a traditional authority court and meeting room just like we have here.”
Akobo county commissioner Goi Joiyul Yol appealed to the government of Jonglei state and other non-governmental organizations to help fund education and health in the area.
[Goi Joiyul]: “During this project, the youths of Akobo, the administration and the community all participated to construct the fence at the airstrip funded by USAID, and they have also put a lot of work into cleaning this town. We will need a lot of aid in the school system. We need training, support of infrastructure and provision of materials for the students. That does not make health second, because we need a healthy student going to school. We are calling for the construction of a good hospital in the near future.”
The opening ceremony was attended by the US consul-general in Juba, Jonglei state deputy governor, state government officials, UN representatives and the Akobo community.
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