Narus | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Narus Location in South Sudan | |
| Coordinates: 4°30′4″N34°9′42″E / 4.50111°N 34.16167°E | |
| Country |  South Sudan |
| Region | Equatoria |
| State | Eastern Equatoria |
| County | Kapoeta East County |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) |
Narus is a community in the Eastern Equatoria State of South Sudan. It is the headquarters of Kapoeta East County. [1]
Narus is 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of the Kenyan border on the road from Kapoeta to Lokichoggio in Kenya. [2] Narus lies on the Narus River, which originates in the Didinga Hills to the west and discharges into the swampy area northeast of the community. The river floods during the rainy season, but ceases to flow at other times. [3] During the rainy season, the river virtually cuts the town of Narus in two as the riverbed fills and sometimes floods. The small market area is also cut into two-halves, one on each side of the riverbed. [4]
During the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005) Narus remained reliably accessible for transport of supplies and personnel by road, being a one-hour drive from Northern Kenya. The trip still had hazards of rough roads and risk from bandits, cattle rustlers and factional fighters. [5] In 2004 the first phase of an upgrade to the gravel road from Narus to the border town of Nadapal South Sudan was completed. There were plans to further upgrade the road through earthworks, grading, construction of drifts and installation of culverts. [6]
The local people around Narus belong to the Toposa community, a pastoral people. Cattle, goats and sheep play a central role in their society, and the Toposa have always been engaged in cattle raids and counter-raids with the Turkana people across the border in Kenya. [7] During the civil war the Narus schools became refuges for orphans of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) from other communities. [5] As of 2008 there were about 10,000 IDPs in Narus. [8]
St. Bakhita's Day and Boarding Girls' Primary School was established in Narus in 1994 with the goal of helping girls of Southern Sudan whose schooling had been disrupted by the civil war. [5] The school is named after Josephine Bakhita, the first Sudanese to be declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. [9] As of 2002 St. Bakhita's, run by the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church of the Torit Catholic diocese, was the only girls' boarding school in southern Sudan, with 600 primary school students and 33 secondary students. Narus is also home to the Comboni Boys' School, which was opened in 1997 by the Torit diocese after the Sudan People's Liberation Movement had given assurances that they would not recruit the pupils. [10]
During the civil war, boys were used as soldiers by both sides. Many were orphaned or were no longer accompanied by family members. Thousands had found their way to Ethiopia, where they fought for the Mengistu regime in late 1990 and early 1991. After this regime collapsed, the boys and other refugees returned to South Sudan, gathering at large camps at border towns such as Nasir, Pochalla, and Pakok. In its 1992 dry season offensive the government of Sudan attacked Pochalla. The boys moved southwest into Greater Kapoeta, through difficult country combining marshy and desert terrain, harassed by Toposa bandits. By 22 April 1992 there were 12,241 boys and 6,600 "teachers and dependents" in Narus. [11] Kapoeta town was re-captured by the Government of Sudan in 1994 and many people were displaced to Narus. [8] Refugees already in Narus moved south into Kenya, with about 12,000 boys reaching Lokichokio in late May 1992. [11]
The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Torit left his official residence in Torit and moved to Narus during the civil war. [8] Narus later suffered from bombing raids by the government. [10] In one raid in December 1998 a government plane dropped 14 bombs over a period of three days, killing six people and wounding sixteen. [2] In September 2000 a Sudanese government plane dropped a dozen bombs on a Catholic mission in Narus. A medical dispensary was destroyed and six people were injured including a nurse and children. [12] In April 2001 the government dropped two bombs near St. Bakhita School, injuring one student and damaging buildings. [10]
Eastern Equatoria is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of 73,472 km2. The capital City is Torit. On October 1, 1972, the state was divided into Imatong and Namorunyang states and was re-established by a peace agreement signed on 22 February 2020.
Torit is a city of Eastern Equatoria State in South Sudan.
The Toposa are a Nilotic ethnic group in South Sudan, living in the Greater Kapoeta region of Eastern Equatoria state. They have traditionally lived by herding cattle, sheep and goats, and in the past were involved in the ivory trade. They have a tradition of constant low-level warfare, usually cattle raids, against their neighbors.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Torit is a diocese located in Torit in the ecclesiastical province of Juba in South Sudan.
Kapoeta is a town in South Sudan. It is located in Kapoeta South County, in Eastern Equatoria State, in southeastern South Sudan.
Ikotos County is an administrative area in the Eastern Equatoria state of South Sudan with headquarters in the town of Ikotos. The people, who live in the county's area by subsistence agriculture and cattle herding, are poverty-stricken. Years of civil war have made violence commonplace: most people have experienced the murder of a close family member. In 2009, AK-47 rifles were used in 42 per cent of killings.
Budi County is an administrative area of Eastern Equatoria state in South Sudan, with headquarters in Chukudum.
Louis Lobong Lojore is a South Sudanese Politician and a military governor in the rank of brigadier general in the South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the current governor of Eastern Equatoria State in South Sudan. He was the governor of Eastern Equatoria state from 2010 to 2015, governor of Kapoeta State from 2015 to 2020, and has been the governor of the recreated Eastern Equatoria state since 29 June 2020. Lobong is the longest serving governor in South Sudan.
Namorunyang is a village and Payam of Kapoeta South County in Eastern Equatoria, South Sudan.
Kapoeta South County is an administrative region in Eastern Equatoria State. The county logo is a ram with horns and slightly bent tail. The county includes the Kapoeta Town, Machi and Namorunyang Payams.
Nadapal is a community in the south west of Kapoeta East County, South Sudan near the border with the Rift Valley province of Kenya. The Nadapal belt is an area stretching 25 kilometres (16 mi) southward from the border with South Sudan to Lokichogio in Kenya.
Riwoto is a community in Eastern Equatoria state of South Sudan. It is a payam and village in Kapoeta North County.
Natinga originated from Didinga's common word "kitingatek" which literarily means let's force it.
Kapoeta East County is an administrative region of Eastern Equatoria state in South Sudan, bordered by Kenya to the south, Ethiopia to the east and Jonglei state to the west. It is part of the Greater Kapoeta region of the state. The largest ethnic group is the Toposa people. The principal town is Narus. The county includes the disputed Ilemi triangle, controlled by Kenya. The emblem of the county is a horned bull, with big humps and a large tail.
George Echom Ekeno is a politician who was deputy governor of Eastern Equatoria state in South Sudan, and was later appointed state minister for Environment, Wildlife Conservation & Tourism.
Loyoro is a community in Eastern Equatoria state of South Sudan, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) as the crow flies to the north east of Narus. It lies on the Loyoro River. Loyoro is part of the Narus parish of the Catholic Diocese of Torit.
Lolim is a community located in Eastern Equatoria state of South Sudan. It is on the road from Kapoeta to Narus. Lolim lies just north of the Loyuro River, which has a pool called Lolimi. The community is mainly made up of Toposa people.
Nanyangacor is a community in Eastern Equatoria state of South Sudan. It is in the Eastern Uplands of Kapoeta East County, near the border with Ethiopia.
Kapoeta North County is an administrative division of Eastern Equatoria. The principal settlement is Riwoto and the largest ethnic group are the Toposa people. The county emblem is an elephant.
The Catholic Church in South Sudan is composed of one ecclesiastical province with one archdiocese and six suffragan dioceses. There have been a total of 31 bishops in South Sudan to date. The bishops of South Sudan and Sudan are currently members of one single bishops' conference, designated as Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
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