The head of police in Aweil says he wants more troops in the state in spite of a national budget shortfall that has caused some civil servants to go unpaid.

The rationale for the move is that the creation of three new states within the former Northern Bahr al Ghazal State territory has resulted in the distribution of police outside of Aweil and created a shortage.

Aweil State Police Commissioner Major General Elia Kosta said that he submitted a document to South Sudan’s Police Inspector General in which he appealed for extra forces to be employed and deployed to boost security in the region.

“After distribution of forces to three states , we have experienced shortage in forces, and that is necessary for us to recruit extra forces.

“After the division of the state into three parts we have a shortage of forces and it's necessary that we add troops. Know that Aweil State has eight counties and Aweil Town, all this needs more troops, supplies and weapons,” he said.