South Sudan’s rebel leader Riek Machar has condemned President Kiir’s decision to create 28 states in place of the 10 constitutionally established states, urging him to revoke the decree until grassroots consultations are made.
“We want President Kiir to revoke his unilateral decision or suspend it until when all the parties and stakeholders in South Sudan sit and come up with the type of federalism and number of states and counties to be established,” Machar said in a statement.
“In the light of this action of President Kiir, we call upon the IGAD plus and the international community to take a position,” Riek added. He called the decree a “clear violation” of the peace agreement.
However, Riek Machar himself last year issued a decree claiming to create 21 ‘federal’ states. Machar decided that he also had the powers to appoint ‘governors’ for these states, rather than allowing for elections. The same position has been taken by Salva Kiir, who announced that he will appoint all 28 governors of the new states.
Gabriel Changson Chang, a politician who broke away from Machar last year and formed an opposition splinter group, lashed out at Machar for his hypocrisy, according to a press statement released today.
Changson said, “In his response to President Kiir’s Decree… Dr. Riek Machar described it as ‘a unilateral decision and a violation of the agreement’ forgetting that he also unilaterally decreed the creation of 21 states ten months or so ago before shamefully surrendering to Juba Government on the 17 August 2015.”
Changson referred to “power hungry politicians” who want to politicize the issue of states boundaries. He said the position of his own party, the Federal Democractic Party, is that all South Sudanese stakeholders including political parties, civil society, and religious organizations should discuss and agree on this issue.
He stressed that this is not a matter than can be decided by any one man. The opposition politician wants the IGAD negotiations reopened, saying that Salva Kiir and Riek Machar do not represent the South Sudanese people.
File photo: Riek Machar in his office in Juba in 2012 (Voice of America)