According to Google Maps, "Tong Tong" is allegedly a place located at approximately 7°06'00"N 33°03'01"E. This is in the nation of South Sudan, in East Africa; more specifically, in the eastern Greater Pibor Administrative Area, and near the border with Ethiopia.
The English Wikipedia briefly had an article about this place in April 2023, which claimed, "It is an old village filled with greenery and huts and is situated nearby similar villages called Langogu/Gbutugu and Kopalli". However, the article was soon deleted, since the place was not mentioned in any other sources and the article could have even been a hoax. (In fact, that very deletion discussion was what inspired me to make this market.)
Note that "Tong Tong" is not mentioned on ACME Mapper, Apple Maps, Bing Maps, OpenStreetMap, or Yandex Maps. Furthermore, Google Maps' Satellite View suggests that the entire vicinity of Tong Tong is covered in forest. However, the resolution of the satellite imagery is too low to definitively settle this question either way.
This question shall resolve based on an in-person visit to the place in question. If, during such a visit, the traveler finds:
A village, town, city, building, or any other landmark...
That is called "Tong Tong" (and/or some plausible alteration in the local languages)...
And that is located at most 10 miles (~16 kilometers) away from the coordinates in question...
And which has existed since before 2023...
Then this market resolves YES. Conversely, if the traveler finds that no such landmark exists during their visit, then this market resolves NO.
If no such visit occurs by the specified close date, then this market will resolve to N/A. However, the close date is mostly a placeholder; I may move it earlier or later at my discretion, as long as it hasn't passed already.
EDIT: increase distance threshold from 5 miles to 10 miles
1,000@duck_master I've always wanted to go to South Sudan because I've been fascinated with how people manage to go through life even after decades of war. I think I might be able to go there in 2-3 years. I'll try to see if I can find anything. How should I report my findings back to you?
not sure if serious, but this is a terrible idea. South Sudan is ranked as a Level 4: Do Not Travel by the US State department. This means that if something goes wrong there, the US government really is going to struggle to help you.
Country Summary: Violent crime, such as carjackings, shootings, ambushes, assaults, robberies, and kidnappings is common throughout South Sudan, including Juba. Foreign nationals have been the victims of rape, sexual assault, armed robberies, and other violent crimes.
Armed conflict is ongoing and includes fighting between various political and ethnic groups. Weapons are readily available to the population. In addition, cattle raids occur throughout the country and often lead to violence.
Also, if you’re trying to do any kind of reporting in South Sudan, about this village, fyi:
Reporting in South Sudan without the proper documentation from the South Sudanese Media Authority is considered illegal, and any journalistic work there is very dangerous. Journalists regularly report being harassed in South Sudan, and many have been killed while covering the conflict.
@mattyb The violence should die down after the end of the transitional period (when the unified forces are deployed, bc right now there are tons of irregular paramilitaries), I don’t mind bribing guards if necessary, and I’m not doing any reporting, just checking it out. I’m going to stay in Juba for most of my trip and only ask around for information about Tong Tong, not actually go there.
@benjaminIkuta @mattyb If the violence in South Sudan doesn't die down in a year or so (by mid-2025), and no one attempts the trip, I'm willing to make this an N/A.
A very legitimate looking atlas of Jonglei State from UN OCHA here mentions Tong Tong twice.
https://docplayer.net/60537040-South-sudan-state-atlas-jonglei.html
https://www.openstreetmap.org/edit#map=17/7.10191/33.04852
There are a couple of isolated dwellings right in the area that have been there since at least 2020. The only thing left is for someone to verify that it actually is named Tong Tong, which I find plausible.