Diplomats criticize S. Sudanese gov’t over 28 states

October 5, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudanese government has come under heavy criticism from foreign diplomats over Friday’s unilateral decision by president Salva Kiir, creating 28 federal states in total disregard for the peace agreement he signed in August with the armed opposition leader, Riek Machar, which was sealed on the basis of the current 10 states in the country.

The call on the government by the representatives of foreign nations to reverse its decision came on Monday when Juba invited the diplomats for a briefing on the declaration of the new states in an attempt to win their support in favour of the decree.

Officials close to the meeting told Sudan Tribune on Monday that the diplomats questioned the timing and rationale behind the government’s decision to unilaterally decree the new states, urging Juba to respect the peace agreement and suspend the creation of the states to be handled during the transitional period by the would-be formed government of national unity.

The reaction by the ambassadors accredited to South Sudan is seen as the first step in testing the response of the government before a position can be taken by the IGAD Plus mediation body and the United Nations.

However, the source said government officials at the briefing defended the decision of the president in decreeing the new states, saying it would help accommodate officials during the transitional period.

Minister of information and broadcasting, Michael Makuei Lueth, told the diplomats that the president had the right to do “whatever” he wanted as a representative of the people in the sovereign country, South Sudan.

He said the creation of the states was not a violation of the peace agreement as said by the opposition faction led by former vice president, Riek Machar, adding that the opposition group should have instead appreciated it so that the expanded states could accommodate them more.

He revealed that according to the new states the opposition leader will nominate six governors for the new six states which were curbed from the two oil-rich states of Unity and Upper Nile.

“They (opposition) should have instead appreciated the decision because this will help them. It will solve the problem of accommodation which they have,” Lueth told the diplomats.

Lueth also explained that the power sharing agreed in the peace deal will also apply in the new states in which the opposition will get 15% of state ministerial positions from the other 18 states in greater Bahr el Ghazal and Equatoria and 40% from the 10 states created from greater Upper Nile.

He did not however explain how members of the new state legislative assemblies will be shared as the peace agreement maintained the current elected members of the state parliaments. He did not also talk about how the national legislature will be affected in the new representation.

The order mainly created states based on ethnicity in which the Nuer community, the second largest in the country, was singled out with five states inhabited a 100% only by the Nuer. However, Dinka communities in the greater Upper Nile state were mixed with other minority tribes such as Shilluk and Burun.

Earlier, Lueth on Friday also said the order of the president which created the 28 states did not need to go to the national parliament for approval, arguing that it was an executive order and should be implemented without any questions by the national legislature.

However, president Salva Kiir’s legal advisor, Lawrence Korbandi, who also attended the Monday’s briefing of the diplomats, contradicted Lueth’s interpretations, saying the order must go to the parliament for endorsement.

“We have 30 working days during which the order will be presented to the parliament. If this is not done I will be the first to speak against this order,” he said.

Korbandi however defended the order, saying it was in the interest of the people and that local resources will be mobilized to cater for the 28 states.

The opposition faction earlier warned that the new 28 states will alter provisions of the peace agreement which was based on the current 10 states and open up the deal for further negotiations, calling on the international community to step in and stop the government from violating the agreement.

The peace agreement, signed in August by the parties, deferred the establishment of federal system of governance and creation of more states to the constitutional making process during the transitional period of 30 months.

(ST)