The committee that visited Wau last month to gather public opinions regarding the disputed naming of a newly constructed bridge over Jur River in Western Bahr el Ghazal State has returned to Wau on Friday.
Led by Kornelo Kon Ngu, the deputy speaker for the Transitional National Legislative Assembly, the five-member committee was dispatched by the national government to address the concerns raised by the Luo community.
Despite concluding their fact-finding mission and returning to Juba last Sunday, the committee has returned to Wau following a request from the state authorities. The state officials informed them about another group that the committee did not meet during their previous visit.
Kornelo Kon Ngu, speaking to the press upon their arrival at Wau airport on Friday afternoon, stated that they have come back to compile a comprehensive report. The committee aims to address the additional group’s perspectives that were not considered in their initial findings.
“We have returned from Juba; we are the committee that recently visited Wau to address issues related to the naming of the new bridge. Our return is to gather a comprehensive report that includes insights from the group we did not meet last month. This report will be presented to the authorities in Juba,” said Ngu.
“We had successfully met with all the groups we intended to engage, but we were informed that a specific group was missed, prompting our return to ensure a comprehensive report,” he explained.
Ngu urged the residents of Western Bahr el Ghazal State to remain calm and await the final outcome. He emphasized the importance of accepting the result of the naming process without allowing it to contribute to insecurity. “Let the naming of the bridge not be a source of unrest,” he added.
Upon his arrival at Wau airport, Deputy Speaker Ngu was welcomed by Western Bahr el Ghazal State Speaker Hon. Andel Awathadalla Nasir. Nasir stated, “We are here today at Wau airport to welcome Deputy Speaker Hon. Kornelo Kon because he comes from Juba on an important issue.”
Two months ago, tensions escalated over the naming of a new Chinese-built bridge in Jur River County. A group of Luo youth submitted a petition to the state assembly, leading to the formation of a five-member committee in Juba. The committee was tasked with meeting state officials, youth, traditional leaders, and state members of parliament to understand the circumstances surrounding the bridge’s naming.
In 2020, the Chinese government offered to construct a bridge for South Sudan over the Jur River, and it was agreed to be named the Jur River Bridge.
Construction commenced in March 2021, led by China Tianyuan Construction Group Company Limited in collaboration with China Aid for Shared Future. The project was initiated with the signed document referring to it as the Jur River Bridge.
However, a year later, after construction had already started, the National Council of Ministers unilaterally approved a new name, Clement Mboro Bridge, in honour of a South Sudanese politician hailing from Wau County in Western Bahr el Ghazal State.
Before this decision, a youth body from Jur River County submitted a petition to State Governor Sarah Cleto Rial, accusing her of orchestrating the change in the bridge’s name. The petition urged her to retract her proposal presented to the Council of Ministers in Juba.
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