Gogrial state’s governor accompanied by the minister of information, speaker of the legislative assembly and commissioners have toured of all of the newly created counties to meet communities.
Officials started their tour late last month, starting in the conties of Gogrial West and then continuing to four counties of Gogrial East. Governor Abraham Gum Makuac focused on peace and agriculture, according to a source from Gogrial East who was part of the tour.
Gum urged all communities of his state to live in peace with one another and encouraged them to focus on farming activities as the only way to fight looming hunger. Gogrial State received 20 tractors from the national government in March and distributed them to counties with each county receiving one tractor while seven tractors remain with the state ministry of agriculture.
The source said that local leaders who spoke in a series of meetings with the touring officials raised a range of issues including the hunger situation, lack of clean drinking water, poor education system, cattle theft, and lack of phone network in some payams.
“Leaders of cattle camps in some payams asked the governor to look into the problems of cattle theft since it is the cause of conflict between people,” the source said.
The same source also revealed that the population of two counties of Apuk North and West areas that have been affected by last year’s communal conflict have been severely hit by hunger. He stated that many people who have left their homes for safety are now returned but lack basic needs including food.
Gogrial State is one of 28 states created by President Salva Kiir by decree but challenged as unconstitutional by a coalition of opposition parties. The country’s constitution says that there are only 10 states.
Monitors of the peace agreement have called the creation of the 28 states a “violation” of the peace agreement. Salva Kiir says the 28 states are the demand of the people.
File photo: Governor Abraham Gum