Leer County

Leer county
Leer county is located in South Sudan
Leer county
Leer county
Location in South Sudan
Coordinates: 8°17′52″N 30°08′51″E / 8.297855°N 30.147525°E / 8.297855; 30.147525
Country South Sudan
RegionGreater Upper Nile
StateUnity State
Area
 • Total631 sq mi (1,633 km2)
Population
 (2017 estimate[1])
 • Total79,653
 • Density130/sq mi (49/km2)
Time zoneUTC+2 (CAT)

Leer County is an administrative division of Unity State in the Greater Upper Nile region of South Sudan.[2] The headquarters is in the town of Leer.

In December 2009, traffic police established roadblocks along the road between Panyijar County and Leer and demanded high bribes from travelers who wanted to pass.[3] In March 2011 the Governor of Unity State, Taban Deng Gai, launched a drive to recruit men for the army. In April, Leer County police were reportedly enrolling young men into the Sudan People's Liberation Army by force, apparently on orders from the County Commissioner, who was in turn obeying the Governor's orders.[4] On 12 May 2011, landmines on the road from Leer to Bentiu exploded, destroying two vehicles, killing three people, and seriously injuring others. The border of Sudan to the north was blocked, causing shortages of supplies, and there were rumors that militias were moving south through the county.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ "South Sudan: States and counties". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  2. ^ Atekdit, Ariik (15 February 2016). "Southern Liech Governor Arrives State Headquarters". Gurtong. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  3. ^ "South Sudan: Traffic police in Payinjiar, Mayiandit and Leer counties in Unity state accused of demanding bribes from passing motorists". Sudan Radio Service. 4 December 2009. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  4. ^ "S.Sudan: Drafting Citizens in Army". SoSaNews. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  5. ^ "Open letter of the Comboni Missionaries and Comboni Missionaries Sisters of Leer on the current situation of South Sudan". 1 June 2011. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  6. ^ "Missionaries concerned with the violence in unity state". Catholic Radio Network. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  7. ^ "Joint Civil Society Statement on The Current Situation of..." Comboni Missionaries of Southern Sudan.[dead link]