The Government of Western Bahr el Ghazal State on Monday said it was not even remotely involved in the naming of the new Chinese-constructed Bridge on a section of the Jur River in Wau.
The clarification comes in the wake of a petition submitted by the Luo Youth Union to the state assembly regarding the former’s displeasure with the choice of the name of deceased veteran politician Clement Mboro for the bridge.
Last week, signage bearing the name “Clement Mboro Bridge” was installed on the bridge sparking controversy and leading to the arrest and detention of the deputy chairperson of the Luo You Union, Santino Mdut, on charges of inciting violence.
During a press conference on Monday in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal State Minister of Cabinet Affairs Julius Bensensio emphasized that the decision to name the bridge “Clement Mboro” was not initiated by the state government but rather a resolution of a national council of ministers meeting in Juba last year.
“The signing of the contract for the new bridge was an agreement between the Chinese government and a (Chinese) company to build the bridge in South Sudan. At the end of the project, the bridge will be handed over to the Government of China which will in turn hand it over to the Government of South Sudan. The project was not a Government of South Sudan project,” he explained. “The state government has no authority to name it Clement Mboro Bridge and the name was passed as a resolution by the council of ministers in Juba. The name Kiir Mayardit was also proposed. The name Clement Mboro was not even among the names proposed but it came after President Salva Kiir asked the state about prominent historical politicians in Western Bahr el Ghazal. This is how the name of Clement Mboro was brought up.”
“So, we as the state government did not give the name Clement Mboro Bridge, and our work was only to monitor the project,” Minister Bensensio added.
He stressed that the state government will not entertain the pressure from the Luo Youth Union to change the name of the bridge from Clement Mboro.
“We have the national resolution in our file in the state but if anybody is protesting the name, then this is not our work. It is them to contact the national government,” the minister stated. “Last week, a group of youth from Jur River County petitioned the assembly about the name Clement Mboro but I want to assure you in this press conference that as the state government, we have no right to change the resolution passed by the national government.”
In 2020, the Government of China offered to build a bridge over the Jur River in Wau, and the agreement that was inked referred to the project as the Jur River Bridge.
In March 2021, the China Tianyuan Construction Group Company Limited together with China Aid for Shared Future started the construction of the new bridge but one year after construction started, the National Council of Ministers resolved to name it the Clement Mboro Bridge.
The choice of name is in remembrance of late veteran politician Clement Mboro who hailed from Wau County in Western Bahr el Ghazal State.