Calm has returned to Renk town in Upper Nile State following protests that culminated in the closure of shops in the area, police said Sunday.
Police Commissioner Major General Manyok Jurkuch told Radio Tamazuj that calm has returned to Renk town that experienced demonstrations after Saturday’s presidential decision that returned the country to 10 states plus administrative areas of Abyei, Ruweng and Pibor.
President Salva Kiir on Saturday morning reduced the number of states from 32 to 10, paving the way for the formation of a unity government. The move aimed at resolving the contentious issue of the number of states.
Kiir and opposition groups are under pressure to urgently implement the move to a transitional government before the expiration of February 22 deadline.
General Jurkuch disclosed that dozens of local youths started protesting against the return to the original 10 states from Saturday until today morning. The top police officer said shops have been closed after protests resumed this morning.
“The protests concentrated on the main roads in Renk. We don’t have any problem with the protesting youths since they are not violent,” Jurkuch said.
“Those young people are trying to mobilize a large number of people to join them. We decided to close the market as a security measure but the situation is generally calm. Those youths returned home after they protested again this morning,” he added.
It remains unclear who was leading the protests in Renk town, which was part of Northern Upper Nile State before the recent presidential order.
Separately, the police commissioner said a civilian was wounded when a soldier opened fire on a group of youths near Al-Souq Al-Shabi on Saturday. He noted that investigations into the incident are ongoing.
“The incident had nothing to do with the protests. The soldier had been arrested pending investigations,” he concluded.