South Sudan govt announce committee for 28 States

Charles Atiki Lomodong

By

Dukhan Jundit

The South Sudanese Transitional Government of National Unity announced on Friday that it will form a committee comprised of fifteen members in the near future.

Speaking to the press after the meeting in Juba the first Vice President Dr Riek Machar said the the committee will determine the status of the States, cantonment areas and boundaries.

Five out of fifteen will be drawn from international partners and the remaining ten will be chosen from Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition, SPLM-IO (Nuer), SPLM-IG, (Jieng/Bahr el Ghazal), former detainees and other political parties.

The committee will report their findings to the presidency in thirty days.

Dr Machar also added that talks are under way for the inclusion of South Africa and Tanzania in the committee.

President Salva Kiir Mayardit formed 28 States in October 2015, two months after the peace agreement was signed.

The SPLM-IO also formed 21 States before the agreement which they said were based on British colonial rule borders.

Update

The opposition parties body announced that they will divide seventeen parliamentary seats in the the government of National Unity.

Chairman for the National Alliance opposition parties Dr Lam Akol said that his will take twelve seats out of seventeen and the National Agendas parties, led by Martin Elias Lomuro, will take five seats.

Akol said the list of their nominees for parliamentary candidated has been submitted to JMEC, the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, a body that monitors the peace implementation in South Sudan.

Dukhan Jundit

Dukhan is a freelance journalist in South Sudan having contributed to numerous publications and worked as News Editor for InterNews Radio in the Upper Nile State previously.