South Sudan’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting Michael Makuei Lueth says the position taken by the East African regional bloc IGAD rejecting the division of South Sudan administratively into 28 states is baseless, saying his government is not obliged to reply to it.
In a recent memo, the IGAD mediators had called the 28-states order a violation of the peace agreement. Asked about this in an interview with Radio Tamazuj, Makuei stated that South Sudan has its president and that the IGAD mediators are not the rulers of South Sudan from Addis Ababa.
He pointed out that IGAD should have to inquire into the reason for creating 28 states in South Sudan before issuing its statement to media houses.
Meanwhile, Presidential Press Secretary Ateny Wek Ateny said the IGAD has the right to issue statements with respect to the division of South Sudan into 28 states. However, he said President Salva Kiir has a right to divide the country into any number of states he deems appropriate.
Ateny described protests by some citizens over the division of states as a simple matter, alluding to the protests by people of Raja County who have been annexed to Aweil North and Aweil West to become Lol State. The presidential spokesman noted that this problem is not in Raja County alone, but there are many problems in a number of the newly created states.
Separately, the SPLM-DC caucus in Upper Nile State parliament rejected the decision to establish new states in South Sudan. In a statement on Wednesday signed by the Minority Chip Whip Kosti Omuj, the main opposition party said the decision to create new states will cause more ethnic conflicts and border disputes between communities.
The Establishment Order is a clear violation of the signed peace agreement, according to the statement.