Juba instigates demonstrations to maintain South Sudan’s 32 states: SPLM-IO

January 13, 2019 (JUBA) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) has accused the South Sudanese government of inciting demonstrations to keep the current 32 states in a clear breach of the revitalized peace agreement

Manawa Peter Gatkuoth SPLM-IO Deputy Chairperson of the National Committee for Information and Public Relations claimed that the government plans demonstrations to be staged by its employees to protest against any decision aimed at abolishing the 32 states.

“We consider this move as a clear undermining of the revitalized peace agreement and a confirmation of the statements of the presidential press secretary in which he said that Salva Kiir would not back down from 32 states,” Manawa said in statements to Sudan Tribune on Monday.

He further underlined that these states have been established by an administrative decision in clear violation to the constitution and without a popular referendum or even after consultations with the political forces that signed the peace agreement.

“The SPLM-IO considers this move as a desperate attempt to circumvent the decision of the Independent Boundaries Commission, which indicated that the majority supports returning to the 10 states because it faces a problem in the demarcation of borders between these states and districts”.

Several South Sudanese officials voiced their support to maintain the 32 states jeopardize jeopardizing the whole peace process.

Cabinet affairs minister Martin Elia Lomuro last December told an IGAD consultative meeting said the 32-state system is working well adding that disrupting it would lead to a “disaster in the country”.

Manawa said that the government would not authorize those who are against the 32 states to take to the street.

He also pointed out to the millions of IPDs and refugees saying they would not return to their areas of origin before to settle this issue of state boundaries and the formation of a new army to replace instead of “security services that committed ethnic cleansing from 2013 to 2016.

During the meetings of the boundaries commission, the SPLM-IO was among those who supported the 10 states.

Manawa said the with the old territorial administrative system at list the there was no problem on the level of tribal boundaries.

(ST)