The governor of South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state has announced that a deserted UN compound will be transferred to the local university.
Governor Louis Lobong said the former UNMISS base in Torit would become the new site for Torit University of Science and Technology.
The move follows the closure of the UN mission’s field office in the town. The UN has been gradually drawing down its peacekeeping presence in parts of South Sudan.
Speaking at a Christmas Day event in Torit on Thursday, Governor Lobong said the facility would provide students with easier access to higher education.
He said it would mean students would not have to travel long distances to the capital, Juba, or to neighbouring countries.
The governor also addressed wider issues of self-sufficiency, stating that “we must cultivate our land” to create jobs, as public sector employment was limited.
He acknowledged that “many valuables have been taken” from the site in the past but said the commitment to establishing the university there was “unwavering”.
The university’s vice-chancellor, Professor Pasquale Tiberio Moilinga, told Radio Tamazuj he was “thrilled and optimistic” about the move.
He said the compound’s infrastructure would help solve many of the university’s challenges.
Students in Torit welcomed the announcement.
Edward Taban Ofere said it would alleviate the pressure on families who could not afford to send children to Juba or abroad.
Another student, Elizabeth Paska Alphonse, said the chance to study locally would allow students to balance education with work.
The transfer is seen as a significant step for the university, which has been working to become fully operational.
Torit University of Science and Technology (TUST) was established by a Presidential decree on April 18, 2010, and its first vice chancellor Dr. Victor Loku Kwajok was appointed on May 3, 2010.
In May 2025, Radio Tamzuj reported that the governor appealed for SSP 437 million to start operationalization of the university. The plans aim to begin in the 2025/26 academic year with the Colleges of Engineering, Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, and Business Administration and Management.