Natinga Airstrip

Military obsolescence and a shifting political landscape. The airstrip's primary function as a major headquarters and logistical hub for the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) became redundant after the 2005 CPA. With the end of that conflict and the subsequent independence of South Sudan, the SPLA's strategic focus shifted from remote bush bases like Natinga to more centralized, formal military structures.

The airstrip is abandoned and non-operational. Recent satellite imagery shows the runway is unmaintained, with significant vegetation growth and signs of erosion. The site has been partially reclaimed by the local community for settlement and subsistence agriculture. Huts (tukuls) and small farming plots are visible on and immediately adjacent to the former runway. The runway's path is still clearly discernible and may be used informally as a local road or open community space.

Natinga Airstrip was of immense strategic importance during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005). It served as a critical headquarters, training base, and logistical hub for the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) in the Equatoria region. The airstrip was a lifeline for the SPLA, used for the clandestine transport of troops, weapons, and essential supplies. Concurrently, it was a vital delivery point for international humanitarian aid under the UN's Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS). Organizations like the World Food Programme and various NGOs flew in food and medical supplies to support the large, displaced civilian population in the rebel-held territory. Operations primarily involved rugged, STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) military and humanitarian cargo aircraft (such as the C-130 Hercules, DHC-5 Buffalo, and Antonovs) and smaller bush planes that could operate from its unpaved, laterite runway.

There are no known official plans or prospects for reopening Natinga Airstrip. The region remains remote with limited infrastructure, and there is no current economic or strategic driver for its reactivation. Aviation infrastructure development efforts by the Government of South Sudan and its international partners are focused on larger, more central airports in state capitals and major towns. Given its current state of disrepair and lack of strategic importance, reopening is considered extremely unlikely in the foreseeable future.