South Sudan’s Vice President Gen. Taban Deng Gai arrived in Bentiu on Thursday on what local officials described as a private visit to inspect his farmland ahead of the rainy season.
The visit comes as Unity State Governor Joseph Nguen Monytuil is on a separate visit to Mayom County.
The visit marks his first trip to his home area of Unity State since March, when he publicly complained that he had been blocked from travelling there by officials in the Office of the President.
He last travelled to Unity State by road in May 2025, when he toured Mayom, Bentiu and other areas, meeting local officials and addressing communities on peace and development issues.
Unity State Information Minister Nyakenya Johannes Keah Ruai confirmed to Radio Tamazuj the vice president’s arrival in Bentiu, the state capital, saying the visit was not related to official government business.
“Vice President Taban Deng Gai came on a personal visit to see his relatives and inspect his farmland because of the rainy season,” she said.
The vice president, who also chairs the government’s Infrastructure Cluster, was received at Bentiu airstrip by senior state officials, including Deputy Governor William Gatjang, the state information minister, the Rubkona County commissioner, and military officials.
Minister Keah said it was not immediately clear how long Deng would remain in the state.
Some residents said they were unaware of the purpose of the visit.
“I do not know the reason for Taban Deng Gai’s visit to Bentiu, and I am trying to ask people why the vice president came without enough information about his visit,” resident William Yien Lony said.
Taban, a member of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), is one of five vice presidents in South Sudan’s transitional unity government formed under the 2018 peace agreement.
He previously served as first vice president from 2016 until the reconstitution of the transitional government under the revitalised peace deal.
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