Chair of W. Bahr el Ghazal women’s association steps down

December 14, 2014 (WAU) – The chairperson of the Western Bahr el Ghazal Women’s Association, Mary Emilio Bafuka, has stepped down at the end of her term.

Replacing her is Saida Saliem Hurun, who was elected on Sunday with her two deputies, Mariam John and Rosa Joseph Garang, after Bafuka’s term expired this year.

Nouna Elsa, a representative of the South Sudan Women’s Union, said the association, first established in 2009, would now operate as a union amid calls from women for the organisation to step up its activities to fulfill women’s objectives and goals.

She told the press the elections are part of a restructure that has been underway across the state’s three counties over the past three weeks.

According to Elsa, the process was carried out in a good atmosphere without any complaints from the outgoing office and was also monitored by the state government, as well as county authorities.

“The move to elect the new chairperson is not just a motivation to remove Bafuka but it is that her term period has ended this year,” said Elsa.

“After we have constituted this office, I urged you to cooperate hand in hand and work collaboratively with your state government,” said Elsa.

“We are very happy that you have successfully done your congress. Therefore, after this, we need the new office to come up with their programs which are creative and effective toward making developments,” state governor Rizik Zackaria Hassan said.

Hassan called for the union to establish cooperative enterprises that could help improve women’s livelihood in the state.

He also said state government was prepared to support women’s initiatives
Meanwhile, Hurun called for women across the state to work together, saying the union’s outgoing boss would continue to work in a support capacity.

(ST)