Tribal chiefs in Raja County in South Sudan’s Western Bahr al Ghazal State have met and decided to reject the Establishment Order issued by South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir annexing their county to Aweil West and Aweil North Counties to become ‘Lol State.’
“We have just concluded our meeting, and we have come out with a decision,” said Abdullah Tamim Fartak, sultan of the Feroge tribe, in an interview with Radio Tamazuj today.
“We don’t accept this decision, we don’t accept this decision, and now the letter will be printed,” he said, referring to a letter explaining their position. “We will send it to the president, we don’t want to be annexed to Aweil, we don’t want,” stressed the chief.
The traditional leader explained that the meeting today of 15 chiefs representing all tribes inhabiting Raja County unanimously agreed to reject the presidential order.
Abdullah revealed that the chiefs had previously sent a similar letter to President Kiir in response to a proposal circulated on the possible division of the states in 2014, blaming their politicians for failing to deliver it to Kiir.
A copy of that letter obtained by Radio Tamazuj is written in the name of the Native Administration of Raja County and dated 14 November 2014. The letter rejecting the proposed unification of Raja County with two Northern Bahr al Ghazal counties was signed by chiefs of the Jongorgoli, Feroge, Mangayat, Yulu, Kara, Kreish Boro, Kata, Anbanga, Binga, Zande, Shat, Balanda, Andare, Banda, and Aja.
The hitherto unpublished letter reveals that high-level officials have been weighing a possible break-up of South Sudan’s states since last year. A map attached to the letter indicates that the proposal at that stage included only 18 states, not 28 as later decided by Kiir.
Sultan Fartak stressed that the geographic size of Raja besides cultural differences with the Dinka people of Northern Bahr al Ghazal make a merger of the two areas impractical.
“Raja is the biggest county in the South, it has 15 payams, why do they annex us to those people?… We had sent that message, but the politicians refused to take that letter to the president.”
The chief argued that people from Aweil North and West are pastoralists whereas they are farmers, saying they cannot live together. “Our traditions and habits are different, since the time of British, we were not brought together, and would they be able to unite us now?”
Fartak noted that they would rather remain in their own county instead of joining with the Aweil West and Aweil North counties.
“Do they want to expand the administrative structure of Dinka or what, I don’t know?” he asked.
The local leader stressed that they will defend their rights though civil means. “We want the president to give us our rights, we should be left alone. So, he should amend that decision, that’s the only thing we want from him,” he said.
Photo: A map released to media by Raja chiefs reveals that a proposal to merge Raja County with part of Northern Bahr al Ghazal was discussed already in 2014.