This archive report was first published on 3 December 2019.
Published on December 3, 2019
South Sudan's Minister for Presidential Affairs, Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, has emphasized the importance of the country's 32 states in maintaining stability, warning that any attempts to alter the number of states would have disastrous consequences.
Speaking at a two-day Igad consultative meeting in Juba, Dr. Lomuro stated, “These states have been established and they are working. We feel that to disrupt this number of states would be a disaster to the country, it will cost not only instability but insecurity. The people of those states are already used to it, they have their own governments.”
The meeting, facilitated by South Africa's Deputy President David Mabuza, aims to determine the final status of the number and boundaries of states.
South Sudan's journey to its current 32 states began in 2011, when it gained independence from Sudan with 10 states. The SPLM-IO proposed 21 federal states in 2015, but the government opposed this move.
However, in a surprise move in October 2015, President Salva Kiir issued a decree creating 28 states, citing popular demand. This decision was met with widespread condemnation as unconstitutional.
Despite the initial opposition, the number of states gradually increased to the current 32.
