Parjok (Pajok)
Pajok (also Parjok, Parajok) is a community in Eastern Equatoria state of South Sudan. It is in the southern part of Magwi County, 39 km south of Magwi, near the border with Uganda.
The main ethnic group are the Acholi people, who live on both sides of the border between South Sudan and Uganda in this region, divided by an arbitrary boundary defined by the Colonial British in 1926. The soil is volcanic in origin and rich. The town has a small gazetted forest reserve of 23 ha.
During the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005), the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) captured Pajok from the government. The SPLA was weakened by internal dissension, and Pajok was among the towns recaptured by the government between 1991 and 1994. However, by December 1995 the SPLA had regained the town. In 1995 Sudan and Uganda broke off diplomatic relations. The next year the Sudanese Government accused Uganda of attacking the areas of Pajok and Teit.
The civil war ended in January 2005 and reconstruction began. The Lord's Resistance Army continued activity in and around the area, attacking the impoverished refugees in camps in north Uganda and South Sudan, including Pajok. A report of September 2005 said that refugees were starting to return, with 1,000 out of a population of 5,000 in Pajok targeted for assistance. Work was planned to reconstruct a primary health care unit in the town. In November 2008 UNICEF, in partnership with MEDAIR, handed over an emergency water treatment system to Pajok. The system was built in response to a cholera epidemic, and was capable of serving 2,000 people.
A 2010 report noted that lack of adequate roads is a serious problem. The people of Pajok got a bumper harvest of sesame in 2008 but could not sell it due to the cost of transport. As a result, they did not grow much sesame in the following year.
In 2012, a border dispute (see Ngom Oromo Dispute) between South Sudan and Uganda escalated into a series of border clashes that happened again in the April and August of 2015,
Subclans of Pajok
Pajok is made up of several subclans. The town is divided into "Lacam and Lacwic" - literary meaning left (West) and right (East) portions of the town. Among the subclans on Lacam side are: Panto, Ayu, Biti, Pagaya, Kwac-lanyuru, Bura, Pamuda, Lamogi, Palyec, Obwolto, Panyagiri and Patogo. On Lacwic side are the Ywaya Katum, Ywaya pa Rwot, Ywaya Bol meja, Ywaya Lamwo, Oyere, Paitenge, Toro, Patanga, Paliyo, Kapaa/Paibworo and Bobi.
Notable Pajok People
1. Hon. Benaiah Benjamin Kitara, Chairperson of Revenue Authority, Eastern Equatoria State
The main ethnic group are the Acholi people, who live on both sides of the border between South Sudan and Uganda in this region, divided by an arbitrary boundary defined by the Colonial British in 1926. The soil is volcanic in origin and rich. The town has a small gazetted forest reserve of 23 ha.
During the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005), the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) captured Pajok from the government. The SPLA was weakened by internal dissension, and Pajok was among the towns recaptured by the government between 1991 and 1994. However, by December 1995 the SPLA had regained the town. In 1995 Sudan and Uganda broke off diplomatic relations. The next year the Sudanese Government accused Uganda of attacking the areas of Pajok and Teit.
The civil war ended in January 2005 and reconstruction began. The Lord's Resistance Army continued activity in and around the area, attacking the impoverished refugees in camps in north Uganda and South Sudan, including Pajok. A report of September 2005 said that refugees were starting to return, with 1,000 out of a population of 5,000 in Pajok targeted for assistance. Work was planned to reconstruct a primary health care unit in the town. In November 2008 UNICEF, in partnership with MEDAIR, handed over an emergency water treatment system to Pajok. The system was built in response to a cholera epidemic, and was capable of serving 2,000 people.
A 2010 report noted that lack of adequate roads is a serious problem. The people of Pajok got a bumper harvest of sesame in 2008 but could not sell it due to the cost of transport. As a result, they did not grow much sesame in the following year.
In 2012, a border dispute (see Ngom Oromo Dispute) between South Sudan and Uganda escalated into a series of border clashes that happened again in the April and August of 2015,
Subclans of Pajok
Pajok is made up of several subclans. The town is divided into "Lacam and Lacwic" - literary meaning left (West) and right (East) portions of the town. Among the subclans on Lacam side are: Panto, Ayu, Biti, Pagaya, Kwac-lanyuru, Bura, Pamuda, Lamogi, Palyec, Obwolto, Panyagiri and Patogo. On Lacwic side are the Ywaya Katum, Ywaya pa Rwot, Ywaya Bol meja, Ywaya Lamwo, Oyere, Paitenge, Toro, Patanga, Paliyo, Kapaa/Paibworo and Bobi.
Notable Pajok People
1. Hon. Benaiah Benjamin Kitara, Chairperson of Revenue Authority, Eastern Equatoria State
Map - Parjok (Pajok)
Map
Country - South_Sudan
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| Flag of South Sudan | |
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011, making it the most recent sovereign state or country with widespread recognition as of 2023. It includes the vast swamp region of the Sudd, formed by the White Nile and known locally as the Bahr al Jabal, meaning "Mountain River". Sudan was occupied by Egypt under the Muhammad Ali dynasty and was governed as an Anglo-Egyptian condominium until Sudanese independence in 1956. Following the First Sudanese Civil War, the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region was formed in 1972 and lasted until 1983. A second Sudanese civil war soon broke out in 1983 and ended in 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Later that year, southern autonomy was restored when an Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan was formed. South Sudan became an independent state on 9 July 2011, following 98.83% support for independence in a January 2011 referendum. It has suffered ethnic violence and endured a civil war characterized by rampant human rights abuses, including various ethnic massacres and killings of journalists by various parties to the conflict from December 2013 until February 2020, when competing combat leaders Salva Kiir Mayardit and Riek Machar struck a unity deal and formed a coalition government, paving the way for refugees to return home.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSP | South Sudanese pound | £ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| EN | English language |