The Central Equatoria Governor yesterday sought to refute remarks made by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir at the Independence Day event on 9 July, saying the president had spread ‘false’ and divisive information about federalism and Kokora.
In a speech on the occasion, the president said that introduction of a federal system of government would result in the expulsion of various tribes from Central Equatoria.
The president raised fears that federalism would bring back Kokora, a movement of Equatorian particularism that gained momentum in the early 1980s at a time when South Sudan was divided into three separate political regions.
Kiir warned that Kokora ‘will happen’ if a federal system is introduced in the country, stressing that people of other states were expelled from Central Equatoria under Kokora.
The president stated, “The people of Bahr al Ghazal left, the people of Upper Nile left, the people of Equatoria stayed here. Did they stay together united? They expelled [even] Zande, they expelled the people of Eastern Equatoria – the people of Central Equatoria they remained alone.”
“Will this thing not happen again? It will happen” Kiir had said.
Governor Clement Wani Konga, addressing the Central Equatoria State Legislature yesterday, denied that through ‘Kokora’ people of Central Equatoria chased away eastern and western Equatorians.
He described the statement of the president as ‘‘false,’’ intended to create division.
“As you heard the speech of the President during 9th of July, it was unfortunate that the President of the Republic had been fitted with ‘wrong ’ information,” said the governor. “When Equatoria was decentralized sons and daughters from central Equatoria were in the east, west, from Eastern Equatoria were in the Central,” he added.
“None of the Equatorian people had been chased from Central Equatoria or Eastern Equatoria or western Equatoria – that was false information,” Konga stated.
MPs asked to undertake information campaign
The governor further urged all members of the state assembly to focus on informing the people of Central Equatoria and the country at large on the values and benefits of a federal system.
This instruction comes after the National Security Service, which reports to the president, sought to stifle media reporting on federalism by intimidating journalists, summoning editors of various news outlets and seizing newspapers.
Yesterday the National Security summoned two radio journalists working for an FM station in Yei, Central Equatoria.
In his address to parliament, Governor Konga stated, “We must inform our people in Central Equatoria and the country at large on the values and benefits of this system of governance that ensures equitable distribution of national resources and sharing of state powers by all the different regions, states and ethnic groups to develop and render effective service to the people.”
Konga noted that it is crucial that the national government listen to what the people want. He said that his government has constructed Morobo FM Radio and will endeavour to ensure that all counties of the state have FM radio stations for “mobilization and sensitization.”
The governor referred to other plans by the Central Equatoria government towards stepping up the security, political, social and economic development in the state. He also spoke of the formation of a crisis management committee to coordinate efforts to address the current crisis.
Konga noted the occurrence of ambushes along the Juba-Nimule highway and said there has been a delayed response by the police because of insufficient manpower and arms, implying the need to recruit more police.
The speaker of the State Legislature, Naphtale Hassan, echoed the governor’s remarks saying that federalism is not ‘Kokora’, and stressing that federalism needs to be explained to South Sudanese so that they choose the type of the governance they want.
He urged the national government to give citizens an opportunity to continue debating freely.
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Related:
Governor Konga visits Morobo, Yei, calls for federalism (15 July)
Kiir raises fears of ‘Kokora’ under federal system (10 July)
Governor Konga appears publically with Kiir (8 July)
Equatorian soldiers ‘disarmed’, troops sent to Terekeka (4 July)
Konga: ‘We will continue to talk about federalism’ (4 July)