Twic East County


Twic East County, or simply Twic East, is a county located in Jonglei State, South Sudan. Its headquarters were located at Panyagor. In May 2016, Twic East County was divided into Twic North County, Kongor County, Ayual County, Twic Center County, and Twic South County. However, in 2020, President Salva Kiir Mayardit reinstated the original number of states and counties, thus reunifying original Twic East County.

History

The area encompassed by the former county of Twic East was former colonial Twi Dinka district.
Twic East County was home to the Twic community and it was nicknamed after a founding ancestor named Atwï or Atwïc Ariɛm . According to the Twic origin myth, their ancestors came from Patunduu' or Patundur, which lay to the west of Paliau, where Atwic and his brother, Yieu, lived. They had a falling out, and Atwic left his brother in Patunduu'. After Atwic's departure, Patundur suffered an eight-year drought, which only ended when Yiëu asked his brother to return. When Atwic returned so did the rains, earning him the chieftainship.
Similar to other places in South Sudan, Twic East receives humanitarian aid due to droughts that stop agriculture. Food supplies have been targeted by raiders, such as one raid on trucks from the World Food Programme, which resulted in a loss of seven metric tonnes of food.
Twi Dinka was District during British times like other communities of Dinkas.
According to the Fifth Population and Housing Census of Sudan, conducted in April 2008, Twic East County had a combined population of 85,349 people, composed of 44,039 male and 41,310 female residents.
Twi Dinka of Jonglei state never been part of Bor District. Twic Dinka was district itself during British times in Sudan.

Notable people