December 2nd 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – A South Sudan government official has hinted at the maintenance of the current controversial 32 states which has been one of the reasons why a unity government formation has been delayed several times.
The government and a number of opposition groups signed a revitalized version of a 2015 peace agreement over a year ago to end the ongoing civil war which has killed thousands and displaced millions.
The agreement provided for a 36-month unity government formation headed by President Salva Kiir and deputized by SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar as 1st Vice-President.
The agreement however obliged the parties to resolve outstanding issues such as the security arrangements (formation of a unified army, police and national security) and determination of the number and boundaries of states.
Because those outstanding issues weren’t resolved, the parties couldn’t form what would be the ‘Reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU)’ during two separate deadlines in May and November.
Kiir and Machar met last month in Uganda and decided to extend the pre-transitional period for 100 days within which the pending issues – including the number and boundaries of states – should be resolved.
The regional bloc, IGAD which mediated the 2018 peace pact, is organizing a two-day consultative meeting of the parties to resolve the issue of the number and boundaries of states. All the signatories to the revitalized peace agreement are attending the meeting with a high-level diplomatic presence.
South Sudan’s minister of cabinet affairs Dr. Martin Elia Lomoro hinted out that the current 32 states should stay saying they don’t harm anyone and the could divide the up.
“If people are not looking for political scores, if people are looking for logic, we can reach a deal because the 32 states are in existence. It does not harm anybody after all and we are going to divide these states among ourselves as parties,” Lomoro said.
“There are states that will be run by IO, there are states that will be ruled by SSOA and there are states that will be run by the government. So what we are trying to do is to have a temporary solution. We should end this political game,” he added.
