Hon. Gier Chuang Aluong, Member of Parliament for Pigi County (Jonglei State) and former Minister of Roads and Bridges, during his visit to Abiemnhom, Ruweng Administrative Area, on Monday, March 16, 2026. [Photo: Wol Mapal/Eye Radio]

ABIEMNHOM, Ruweng Administrative Area (Eye Radio) – Former Roads Minister Hon. Gier Chuang has slammed the state of the country’s infrastructure, declaring that “you cannot have a country where there is no road.” He blamed poor road networks for failing to rescue people during the recent insecurity in Abiemnhom.

Speaking after a recent visit to the Ruweng Administrative Area, General Gier, who is also a Member of Parliament representing Pigi County Constituency in Jonglei State in the Revitalized Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA), highlighted the life-or-death consequences of poor infrastructure.

He noted that while the physical distance between Abyei and Abiemnhom is short, the journey remains a gruelling ordeal that hampers emergency responses.

The lawmaker emphasized that the primary duty of any government is to guarantee the safety of its people—a task he argues is impossible without a functional road system.

“If there had been a road, even these people could have been rescued,” General Gier stated. “You cannot have a country where there is no road. Because a road has everything to do with security; it has everything to do with the integration of people.”

He suggested that the recent violence and communal fighting that have plagued the area could have been mitigated, or even avoided, if security forces and emergency services had the mobility provided by modern infrastructure.

With the rainy season approaching, General Gier called on both the national government and the Ruweng Administrative Area to prioritize the connection between Abiemnom and Abyei. He warned that the window for action is closing rapidly.

“I call upon our government and the Ruweng Administrative Area to make sure that this road connecting Abiemnhom with Abyei is worked on,” he said. “Believe me, in two or three months, if it rains, you will not be able to reach Abiemnom,” he cautioned.