SOUTH SUDAN / PIBOR MARKET

South Korean peacekeeping engineers, serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) have built and maintained a core 35-kilometre route linking Bor, Pibor and Akobo. This lifeline between communities has enabled safe movement, the delivery of humanitarian aid, trade, economic growth and peacebuilding. UNMISS

• Video Length: 00:03:22
• Production Date: 5 September 2025
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN – UNMISS
• Subject Topical: PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS; DEVELOPMENT
• Geographic Subject: SOUTH SUDAN
• MAMS Id: 3444209
• Parent Id: 3444209
• Alternate Title: unifeed250905e

Description

STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / PIBOR MARKET
TRT: 03:22
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: DINDKA / ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 04 SEPTEMBER 2025, PIBOR, SOUTH SUDAN / 20 MAY 2025, PIBOR, SOUTH SUDAN

Shotlist

1. Various, shots, Pibor Market
2. SOUNDBITE (DINDKA) Tea seller, Rhoda John:
“I’m very happy with UNMISS’ impact and their efforts to build and repair the roads and airstrip. If there are no roads, I would not have access to sugar and other goods to sell. Now I can make this tea to pay for my children’s school fees. I also urge UNMISS to extend the road repairs to Likuangole, Gumuruk, and Jebel boma, because they are full of resources and we need good connectivity. I’m also happy that the peacekeepers are providing protection. That’s why we are working peacefully, because of the protection and presence of UNMISS.”
3. Various shots, Rhoda making tea
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Geetha Pious, Head of UNMISS Field Office Bor:
“So, earlier, we used to go for big peace conferences, now we are reaching out to the youth. So, in a way that, we managed to, there were mobilizations to attack GPAA [Greater Pibor Administrative Area] but due to UNMISS and other international partners, together, we managed to stop this mobilization. So, there were small attacks that happened, but no big attacks happened. So, the cycle of violence managed to reduce.”

20 MAY 2025, PIBOR, SOUTH SUDAN

5. Various shots, Korean HMEC working on Pibor Runway

04 SEPTEMBER 2025, PIBOR, SOUTH SUDAN

6. SOUNDBITE (DINDKA) Kara Karakarak, Market trader:
“We are very glad to have an opportunity created by UNMISS because they did the airstrip. Last year, it was not like this. Up until this time, we can still transport our goods, and it is supporting us. We wish also to add on, maybe you could put more murrum on the road, so that we can survive, I think your job is going well.”
7. Wide shot, Pibor market vendor conducting business selling shoes
8. Close up, customer with money and shoes in hand
9. Wide shot, zoom out, Pibor market

Storyline

The market in central Pibor is bustling. Business owners are doing a brisk trade, selling a wide variety of goods grown in this region, including maize, groundnuts and sorghum. This economic activity was largely absent at the same time last year, due to insecurity and heavily flooded roads, which made it nearly impossible to transport goods to and from the area. But efforts by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan to repair critical infrastructure is making a meaningful difference.

Tea seller Rhoda John said, “I’m very happy with UNMISS’ impact and their efforts to build and repair the roads and airstrip. If there are no roads, I would not have access to sugar and other goods to sell. Now I can make this tea to pay for my children’s school fees. I also urge UNMISS to extend the road repairs to Likuangole, Gumuruk, and Jebel boma, because they are full of resources and we need good connectivity. I’m also happy that the peacekeepers are providing protection. That’s why we are working peacefully, because of the protection and presence of UNMISS.”

South Korean peacekeeping engineers, serving with the UNMISS have built and maintained hundreds of kilometers of roads, including a core 35-kilometer route linking Bor, Pibor and Akobo. This lifeline between communities has enabled safe movement, the delivery of humanitarian aid, trade, economic growth and peacebuilding.

However, life is not so rosy for many others. At least 12,000 families in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area are suffering from catastrophic-level food insecurity, essentially famine-like conditions. A vicious cycle of cattle raiding and revenge attacks also continues, although these incidents occur less often these days, due to intensive engagement with those largely responsible for the attacks.

Geetha Pious, Head of UNMISS Field Office said, “earlier, we used to go for big peace conferences, now we are reaching out to the youth. So, in a way that, we managed to, there were mobilizations to attack GPAA [Greater Pibor Administrative Area] but due to UNMISS and other international partners, together, we managed to stop this mobilization. So, there were small attacks that happened, but no big attacks happened. So, the cycle of violence managed to reduce.”
The improved security is easing economic pressure, but climate shocks are causing new threats, including severe flooding during the rainy season, which creates a constant need for engineering work to shore up dykes and maintain access to the area.
Kara Karakarak is a market trader, he said, “We are very glad to have an opportunity created by UNMISS because they did the airstrip. Last year, it was not like this. Up until this time, we can still transport our goods, and it is supporting us. We wish also to add on, maybe you could put more murrum on the road, so that we can survive, I think your job is going well.”

While many challenges remain, communities and UNMISS are navigating the difficult journey from conflict to peace and working together to build a brighter future for the people of Greater Pibor and generations to come.