June 17, 2020 (Nyamilepedia) – President Salva Kiir and First vice-president Dr. Riek Machar Teny have this afternoon reached a consensus on the distribution of states, a senior government official said.
Nhial Deng Nhial, the minister for presidential affairs told journalists in Juba this afternoon that Kiir and Machar met and agreed for the distribution of state which has been a thorny issue during the past few months.
Nhial said the meeting resolved to allocate six (6) states to the Incumbent TGoNU, three (3) for the SPLM-IO led by Machar, and one (1) to the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA) led by Josephine Lagu.
According to the minister, the SPLM-IG led by President Salva Kiir will take the states of Warrap, Lakes, Northern Bahr El Ghazal, Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria, and Unity.
The SPLM-IO led by Machar will take the states of Western Equatoria, Western Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile. South Sudan Opposition Alliance will have the state of Jonglei.
The latest development regarding the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement is a very positive step in achieving peace in the world’s youngest nation which has been in an internal civil war since 2013.
Western diplomats in South Sudan have increasingly been urging the parties to resolve the issue of the states because of increased inter-communal violence in several parts of the country.
In recent weeks, fighting between the Lou Nuer has been reported in Jonglei killing over 300 people.
The same thing has also been ongoing in Lakes, Warrap and Unity.
