Wonduruba community members are meeting over whether the payam should belong to the newly created Yei state or Jubek state, amid tensions within the community.
During the CPA period, some people in Wonduruba Payam wanted the area to be part of Lainya County while others wanted it to be part of Juba County. Because of its disputed status it was placed in 2009 under the direct administration of the Central Equatoria governor’s office.
Since last month, President Salva Kiir decreed the Central Equatoria government to be ‘defunct’ and sought to divide the state into three parts.
Sources told Radio Tamazuj that now some community members want be as part of Yei River State while others want be in Jubek State. Youths from some of the seven bomas of Wonduruba Payam said they want belong to Jubek State.
A community meeting that was set for Wednesday to settle the issue is now postponed to Thursday due to tensions among the members of the community.
The population of Wonduruba Payam was largely displaced in September 2015 after violence in the area between opposition fighters and the SPLA, which allegedly also attacked homes and civilians. Many community members fled to Lainya and Juba.
Last month community representatives signed a peace agreement with the SPLA unit in the area, brokered by a church committee.