A member of the Lol State legislative assembly has urged the state government to operate at Nyamlel until the security situation in Raja has improved.
Nyamlel is in Northern Bahr al Ghazal whereas Raja is in Westen Bahr al Ghazal in an area where a number of top officials and chiefs have rejected to merge with Aweil West and North counties to form the new Lol State.
Hon. Majang Ngor Kuany who represents Malual North constituency number 4 in the state parliament says the security situation in Raja is not a hundred percent for the state government employees to move there.
“An attacked on Raja by armed men in June has paralyzed the state government completely as the government offices were looted including all vehicles. For this reason, I personally suggest Lol state government will operate in Nyamlel until security conditions improve,” stressed Majang.
Rebels operating in the area with rear bases in neighboring South Darfur oppose the unification of Raja County with Aweil West and North counties.
“The governor through his minister of information has issued an order that the cabinet, assembly and directors will move to Raja and I wonder how can we go there when the security situation has not change,” he added.
The legislator has also expressed his concern about the poor infrastructure in the area saying that the government would better form a committee to go and inspect the area before government officials move there.
He revealed that since the new state was created there is no assembly hall for the members of state parliament to operate. “It is now going for a year without any assembly hall and we the members we are there doing nothing,” he said.
Lol State is one of the states created by President Salva Kiir in his presidential decree called the Establishment Order of October 2015.
Supporters say the decree will bring development to the grassroots while critics say it is racially driven move to annex non-Dinka lands to the Dinka tribe of the president and to weaken state governments so as to ensure central control. Rebel forces in several parts of the country have cited the decree as a reason to keep fighting in spite of the August 2015 peace deal.
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