JUBA, South Sudan
The parties to the South Sudan peace deal on Wednesday agreed on the allocations of the country’s 10 states, and will now be expected to name governors.
President Kiir’s side will nominate governors
for six states, namely: Lakes, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Eastern Equatoria,
Central Equatoria, Warrap and Unity.
Dr Riek Machar’s Sudan
People’s Liberation Movement-In-Opposition (SPLM-IO) got Western Equatoria,
Western Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile states, while the South Sudan Opposition
Alliance (SSOA) will nominate the governor for Jonglei state.
International pressure had
mounted on Kiir and Machar to agree on the appointment of governors after
intercommunal conflicts escalated in some states.
Disagreement between
President Kiir’s group and opposition parties over the states has been a major
obstacle to completing the formation of the unity government. The rival parties
had been locked in a three month-long impasse over the sharing of state
leadership positions.
“Matters pertaining to the
composition of the executive and the legislative branches of the governments in
the states shall be discussed and agreed to at a later date,” said Nhial Deng
Nhial, Presidential Affairs Minister.
For his part,
Machar’s spokesman James Gatdet Dak confirmed all parties to the peace
agreement have unlocked the stalled talks, saying the move paves the way for
the formation of long-awaited state governments.
“The agreement came as a
result of meetings which also involved the president and the first vice
president. We agreed that the SPLM-IO will take Western Bahr el Ghazal, Western
Equatoria and Upper Niles states,” said Gatdet. “We agree with the deal reached
on the allocations of states. The next step is the nomination process.”
Edmund Yakani, a South
Sudanese observer, said: “The agreement on the issue of states is a great move.
Now the parties will need to incorporate the agreement into the constitution.”
He added, “The compromise has been made today on the issue of states but there are other challenges ahead. So I appeal to the parties to appoint the state governors, incorporate the agreement into the country’s constitution and reconstitute the parliament.”
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