Twic East County, or simply Twic East, is a county located in Jonglei State, South Sudan. Its headquarters were located at Panyagor.Prior to the opening of the Twic East County Head Office in July, 2015, the administration of Twic East County was housed in the former office of the Jonglei Canal Project (JCP) in Panyagor. (See ) 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 [Pronounce: Twïny 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.The names of the communities of Twic were named for the various colors of bulls that were sacrificed to celebrate Atwic's return (for the story, see )
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.The data collected during the Fifth Population and Housing Census of Sudan were to be the primary source of information for decisions about the number and demarcation of electoral constituencies and administrative boundaries in what was then southern Sudan. South Sudanese officials rejected census results for southern Sudan. See . Also, see Demographics of South Sudan.
Twi Dinka of Jonglei state never been part of Bor District. Twic Dinka was district itself during British times in Sudan.
Notable people John Garang (1945–2005), politician and revolutionary leader Adut Akech (born 1999), model Awer Mabil (born 1995), footballer David Manyok Barac Atem (1959–2021), general
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