South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has canceled an earlier decision by General Chol Thon, Governor of Eastern Nile state, terminating services of employees considered to be from Western Nile or Latjor states.
The purge of employees began after the division of Upper Nile State into three successor states, each of which will need its own civil service if the division is to go forward. However, no preparations had been made for setting up state government structures in Western Nile and Latjor states prior to the split, which meant many employees of the former Upper Nile government were left essentially jobless by the Governor’s Chol’s order.
“The President of the Republic of South Sudan has directed that the divisive and destruction order by your office on the 1st February 2016 should be stopped immediately, because it is creating more social rift,” wrote Awan Guol Riak, minister in the office of the president of the president, in a letter to the governor dated 14 March.
According to the letter from Kiir’s office, the people of Upper Nile state have a history of living harmoniously side by side in the multi-ethnic Malakal town without segregation by tribe.
Presidential spokesperson Ateny Wek Ateny says the directives of the president were given out in the interest of peace, stability and unity of the people.
Ateny explained that the termination of services and transfer of all government employees from Eastern Nile state to Western Nile and Latjoor states should not be done in a rush but rather in phases and not until the other states have been established or when the individual employees feel they should go on their own.
File photo: Awan Riak, Minister in the Office of the President
Related:
East Nile governor denies failure to share assets with Latjor and West Nile states (4 March)
MPs criticize ‘divisive’ purges in Upper Nile civil service (1 March 2016)