South Sudan’s government has strongly criticized the IGAD Council of Ministers for recommending the establishment of 23 states plus Abyei Administrative Area.

The IGAD Council of Ministers on Saturday held an extra-ordinary session on the South Sudan peace process in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The meeting preceded the 34th extraordinary summit of the IGAD Heads of State and Government on the sidelines of the African Union summit.

South Sudan Information minister, Michael Makuei on Saturday accused the IGAD Council of Ministers and special envoys of siding with the opposition by asking the government to reduce the current number of states.

Makuei said IGAD, which brokered the peace agreement, failed to give reasons that strongly support the establishment of 23 states in South Sudan plus Abyei.

“There were no reasons given. The second report was made by the special envoys who also decided to agree with the report of the IGAD Council of Ministers and recommended the establishment of 23 states,” Makuei told state media.

Makuei says the government is not ready to extend the February 22 deadline for forming a unity government even though rival parties have failed to agree on the number of states and their boundaries.

“The position of the government is very clear. We are saying the government should be established, the current 32 states be maintained and then the unity government will decide whether to go for a referendum or to push it to the constitution-making process, so this is our position,” he stressed.

According to Makuei, the government is also ready to conduct a popular consultation to determine the number of states and their boundaries.

The government spokesman pointed out that the IGAD Heads of State and Government would deliberate on the contentious issue of the number of states and come out with a communiqué.

Arbitration proposed

Last month, a mediation team led by South Africa’s deputy president David Mabuza proposed that the rival parties go ahead with forming a transitional government by February 22, and leave the issue of states and their boundaries to an arbitration mechanism to later resolve the dispute.

South Sudan had 10 states when it obtained independence from Sudan in 2011. But in 2015 President Salva Kiir unilaterally increased the number to 28 and then later 32.

The opposition argues that the country’s constitution and the 2015 peace deal are explicit that South Sudan comprises only 10 states.

The opposition is insisting on a return to the original 10 states, or 23 states based on colonial boundaries.