South Sudan’s Maiwut governor appoints cabinet ministers

December 16, 2017 (JUBA) – The governor of Maiwut State in South Sudan has issued several orders appointing ministers, advisers and commissioners.

The appointments follow months of consultations and negotiations with members of ethnic Koma community, whose section of members wanted to be annexed to Northern Upper Nile in protest over the manner in which they were treated by members of Nuer who are currently the majority in the state.

Officials and traditional leaders told Sudan Tribune that the delays to form the cabinet stemmed from the desire of politicians from Koma community preferring to be annexed to Northern Upper Nile, despite assurance of support and protection of their interest and rights in the new state to which they have been annexed.

“The issue has been resolved. No more problem”, Maiwut state parliamentary speaker Choul D Kiir told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

The speaker said the dispute was resolved amicably and the deputy governor was appointed from the Koma community in August, paving way for mutual power sharing and peaceful coexistence between the two communities in the new state.

“]The] deputy governor was appointed from Koma in August by the President because the position of the deputy governor has to be filled by the nominee of the government. This is according to the power sharing stipulated in the 2015 peace agreement in which the government was allocated a percentage and the SPLM-IO [South Sudan armed opposition] was also allocated a percentage permitting them to nominate a candidate for the position of the governor”, explained Kiir.

“Ministers, county commissioners and advisers were also shared in an equal split consistent to the power sharing formula”, he adds.

The governor, in his gubernatorial orders, also appointed a number of state advisors, county commissioners, a town mayor and deputy as well as head of the state revenue body.

(ST)