By Ngor Deng Matem
Residents of Majok Yinhthiou of Northern Bahr El Ghazal State (NBGs) are up in excitement for a first taste of mobile communication services in the area, thanks to MTN telecom.
The locals appreciated MTN South Sudan and the government for extending telecommunications network services, for their benefit.
Majok Yinhthiou is a municipal council in the northern part of Aweil East County, located far, along South Sudan and Sudan border.
Some of the people with mobile phones who have been yearning for the services express joy over the recent development of MTN extension of network to the area.
One resident, Chuor Chuor Deng, thanked President Salva Kiir, Vice President Hussein Abdelbagi, and the state governor, Tong Akeen Ngor, for ensuring that such important service reaches the rural communities.
“The installation of this network addresses many issues here. The problems of security along the border, the health conditions of people, especially women giving birth and those with emergencies such as accidents that need a referral to big hospitals, and many others,” Chuor explained.
Deng Achuil Deng, another resident of Majok Yinhthiou said that people in rural areas will be able to speak to their loved ones, relatives, and friends anywhere in the world.
“We will be able to do business using mobile phones, which will improve our economy,” Achuil said.
Meanwhile, Abuk Deng Muony, an old woman supervising her farm at the side of Majok Yinhthiou, calls for money transfer agents to extend their service to the area.
“I want to appeal to money transfer agencies to come and open their branches here so that we will not be going to Warawar and other places for money transactions,” she appealed.
A businessman, Gabriel Gar Deng, who operates in Majok Yinhthiou, is more excited that MTN engineers are also working on another tower at Warguet, a far rural area that had no network services.
“They told us that they will go to Warguet to install its network, and then they will all be officially open,” Deng revealed.
An NGO worker, who requested for anonymity, excitedly applauded MTN South Sudan for covering the area.
“We spent a week at Majok Yinhthiou doing humanitarian work, but we got locked out of social media services because there was no network here,” he said. “We could not receive emails, chat with friends, or follow the world news because we are not connected to the network services.”
The jubilant man couldn’t hide his excitement upon hearing the new development.
“I am personally happy and appreciate the government for considering this part of the world to have a network. The population here has been neglected in so many ways, and now they are relieved of stress,” the NGO staff said.
Angok Angok Athian, an elder in the area, said, “This area is very close to the Merriam of Kordofan region of Sudan, and in the dry season, our neighbors use to attack our territory, and it is always hard to get the information when they occur.”
He noted that it previously took time for the authority to get the report for reinforcement, but “now everything is sorted.”
Efforts to reach government officials or MTN for comment were futile by press time.