The newly appointed members of the Jonglei state cabinet and new county commissioners on Friday took the oath of office in the presence of Governor Denay Jock Chagor in Bor town.

Following the swearing-in, the governor, in his speech, emphasized the responsibility that comes with their positions and urged them to prioritize peace and the protection of citizens above all else. He urged them to be committed to the state’s objectives and warned that any deviation would not be tolerated.

“Your party brings you for you to maintain that seat. From today on, it is not your party, not your friend but you alone.” Chagor said. “The moment you are not doing exactly what the Jonglei State government wants to do, I will be so quick to make sure that you are out and somebody else comes.”

On her part, Deputy Governor Atong Kuol Manyang echoed the same sentiments, calling on the state officials to be diligent in delivering services and fostering peace and unity. She highlighted the need to move beyond sectionalism and tribalism for the greater good of Jonglei.

“We want all of you and all of us to ensure that we encourage peace in our state. And when I talk about peace, I mean that we refrain from sectionalism and tribalism,” she stated. “When we are united as people of Jonglei state, we will be able to achieve a lot of things that we want to achieve through unity.”

Ding Akol Ding, the new State Advisor on Legal Affairs who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, stressed the importance of unity and peace for the development and stability of the state. He expressed the collective desire to bring back internally displaced persons and refugees by creating a harmonious environment.

“We the new sworn-in constitutional postholders are joining you and we are extending our hand to you. We are for peace in this state,” he said. “We want to strengthen our communities. We want our IDPs and refugees who are outside the state to come back. They will not come back if we are not united in our work.”

The SPLM officials sworn in include Ding Akol Ding, State Advisor on Legal Affairs; Mathiop Lueth Athem, Minister of Cabinet Affairs; Nyalele John Chol, Minister of Parliamentary and Legal Affairs; Nyamar Lony Thichiot, Minister of Information and Communication; Isaac Mamer, Minister of Lands, Housing, and Public Utilities; Duer Nyon Gatkuoth, Minister of Labour, Public Service, and Human Resource Development; Gordon Koang Bar, Minister of Education; Lual Monyluak Dhau, Minister of Health and Tang Chatim, Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports.

The others are: Thon Lual Aer, Cooperatives and Rural Development Minister (SPLM-IO); James Gai Makor (SPLM), Bor County Commissioner; John Chatim Ruai (SPLM), Duk County Commissioner; James Gatkor Gatluak (SPLM), Uror County Commissioner, and Suliman Deng Thon (SSOA), Pigi County Commissioner.