South Sudan's constitutional court yesterday indefinitely adjourned the case brought by opposition parties to block President Salva Kiir's order to create 28 states, the parties' lawyer said.

Agok Makur told Radio Tamazuj yesterday that the case was meant to be heard yesterday but the court informed them that several judges were attending a workshop instead.

“We were surprised by the postponement of the sitting under the pretext that the judges were busy with a workshop. It is the first time to adjourn the sitting until further notice,” he said.

The attorney pointed out that parliament's vote to approve President Salva Kiir's 28 states order is unconstitutional because there was a lawsuit brought against the order.

Separately, Gatwech Lam Puoc, one of the five parliamentary committee chairpersons dismissed after opposing amendments in support of Kiir's order, said the move to oust them from their positions was unlawful.

On Monday, parliamentary leadership dismissed the chairs of five committees and the deputy chairs of two committees, all of whom boycotted the vote for a constitutional amendment related to the 28 states order. The boycott contributed to a lack of quorum necessary to pass the amendment.

Puoc, who was head of the parliament’s committee on energy and mining, told Radio Tamazuj that they were dismissed because they walked out of the session.

He stressed that the parliament had no right to dismiss them. Puoc said that Kiir's 28 states order contradicts the signed peace agreement which is badly needed by the people of South Sudan.