Mapel communities decry lack of services
The communities of Mapel in Jur River County have appealed to the Western Bahr El Ghazal State government to deliver services to Mapel’s residents.
The commissioner of Jur River County, Nichola Thiep, said the residents lack access to essential services such as health, roads, education, and telecommunication.
He commended the governor and her team for their visit to Mapel after farmers clashed with cattle herders in the area. He, however, urged the state government to deploy security in the area to ensure law and order.
He discussed some problems the community was having and underlined the importance of constructing roads to connect Payams and Bomas.
“Sometimes there might be emergencies, and it is hard to send security forces to quell the crisis. “The roads connecting the area are our major challenge,” said commissioner Thiep.
He also complained about a lack of network coverage in the area, particularly in Alur, where the tower is located, which he said did not exist.
“Unless you come to Alur, many localities in Alur have no network. Alur’s network does not cover the entire city. Many people in Alur have limited access,’’ he said.
“We need a network which is very important that helps with security and information so that if something happens, you may be able to hear it. If there is no phone and someone is injured in a faraway city; you will not know. So we called upon the telecommunication company to help with networks.”
The commissioner also stated that the state government should construct a secondary school in Alur so that children can study alongside their parents. This is based on the fact that students often return from Wau before finishing their studies due to factors such as a lack of food and the fact that they do not have their parents in Wau.
According to Teresa Aring, Mapel’s chairperson of women, early marriage among young girls between the ages of 12 and 13 is typical. She emphasised that girls who marry at that age confront a variety of issues, including how to care for a home.
The lack of hospitals, midwives, and ambulances to take pregnant women to Wau is a big issue for Mapel women.
Acting Police Commissioner of Western Bahr Ghazal State, James Simon, admonished parents and chiefs against advocating early marriage among young girls, urging them to protect girls so that they complete their education rather than marrying them at the ages of 12 and 13.
“I want to tell you [that] as a community of Mapel, that it is a crime. Every girl who has not reached the age of 18 should not be married. Leave her to study. What is the meaning of marriage? Do not do that because if she gets into a problem, I will come and open a case against you, ” Simon.
The acting police commissioner, on the other hand, informed Mapel residents that his government would send a police force to the region to deal with the tension between farmers and cattle herders.
“The work of the police will be to monitor the movement of cattle, address issues relating to cattle and investigate what could be your grievances with the cattle herders,” he said.
“We have the law of Marialbai. Cattle keepers have the freedom to graze their cattle where there is water and grass and, at the end of the day, chase them back to where they are kept to avoid conflict with farmers. I urge you to pay attention to that,” Simon stressed.
