Ateny Wek Ateny said engineers would be deployed to assess and install mobile network towers in isolated payams of Aweil West County in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, where limited connectivity has undermined communication with authorities and restricted access to digital public services.
The commitment was made on Saturday during a thanksgiving ceremony in Majak-baai Payam, attended by senior officials recently appointed to government positions, including the state governor and the Commissioner General of the National Revenue Authority.
South Sudan’s digital expansion has remained heavily concentrated in urban centres, particularly Juba, after years of armed conflict, cattle-related violence and border insecurity forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee rural areas. Analysts say this urban shift, combined with poor road access and insecurity in border regions, has made network expansion commercially and logistically difficult.
During the ceremony, speakers from the community described severe shortages of basic services in border areas, including telecommunications, food supplies, education and healthcare. They said the lack of mobile networks leaves communities unable to alert authorities during attacks or cross-border incidents near Sudan’s Darfur region.
Speaking on behalf of local residents, Executive Chief Garang Diang Biar appealed to the minister to convey their concerns to President Salva Kiir.
“As people of Aweil West County living along the border, we face insecurity but have no means of communicating with authorities for rescue,” Garang said. “We lack communication networks, food security, quality schools and health facilities. We ask that these concerns be taken to the President.”
In response, Ateny said extending connectivity to remote areas remains a priority, acknowledging that digital exclusion continues to deepen insecurity and isolation in rural South Sudan.
“As I travelled here, I was provided with Starlink internet to use during my stay, and I have now seen the challenges you face firsthand,” Ateny said. “I will ensure that a technical team comes here in January to assess suitable locations for installing telecommunication masts.”
He said the government would procure the towers but warned that local cooperation would be essential, particularly in areas affected by land disputes and insecurity.
“We will buy the tower. Your role is to provide land and protect the engineers,” he cautioned. “If a site is identified in Juorbuoc or anywhere else, no one should claim personal ownership of the land.”
Ateny said issues of national concern raised by communities would be conveyed directly to the presidency through formal channels, while urging officials to avoid circulating unverified information.
Experts say the case of Aweil West reflects a broader DPI challenge in South Sudan: digital public infrastructure cannot function without physical network coverage, yet insecurity, population displacement and weak supply chains have slowed investment in rural areas, leaving large parts of the country digitally disconnected.
For residents of Aweil West, connectivity is closely tied to safety and survival. While the minister’s pledge has raised expectations, community members expressed cautious optimism, noting that similar promises in the past have often failed to materialise.
They say the coming months will determine whether the planned assessments lead to sustained network expansion — or whether rural South Sudan will remain on the margins of the country’s digital future.
Great by terming Jorbioch as Aweil west