Torit State Acting Youth President Orupi David Uywek while reacting to the number and boundaries of states said citizens should be given chance to decide and vote for the number and boundaries of states not leaders.
He told Radio Emmanuel that increasing the number of states without meeting citizens’ demands is another war.
He calls on parties to agree on the number of states and boundaries ahead of the formation of transitional government.
‘Another obstacle again put on our people, is the number of state has been decided by the authority and we as citizens we do respect the constitution before we were in ten states we do not experience this too much suffering like this so we will still appeal to both the national and state governments to decide well so that our people actually are relieved from suffering so we did not actually refused to add more states, but the states can only be increase based on the popular consultation. The war has to be completely silent in order for this thirty two states to exist so if they can really address the issue of the economic crisis, I think nobody will doubt about this 32 states’, he suggested.
While Valari Afara, head teacher of Torit Day Secondary School says the creation of many states has caused more suffering to the people of South Sudan.
‘Very many states have create a very big problem to South Sudanese, in a way that when you move to some areas, you find that they use to stay together as a community, but with the division of states others said that this state has come to my land and trying to graze then you find that fighting is trying to take place people are being killed without asking just getting a person may be taking cattle to a stream whereby they go and graze there you start firing, hearing only that some people are killed why that the land problem and the border issue of the state’, he noted.
Deputy Chairperson for Civil Society Network in Eastern Equatoria, Flora Sebit appealed to the international community to intervene in addressing the issue of states and boundaries for the sake of peace.
She urged parties to peace agreement to compromise in ending South Sudan suffering, calling on citizens to have hope for peace and unity.
‘This is the last advise may be to the different people especially the government, the two parties and other political parties should compromise because we are suffering because of them not because of us. I just want to urge the international body let them intervene directly because is like these people don’t want peace in South Sudan for citizens of South Sudan’, Flora appealed.
The rival parties have twice failed to form the unity government, first in May 2019 and then in November the same year, when they agreed to give themselves 100 days to resolve outsanding issues and form a transitional government by 22 February 2020.
Under the terms of the peace deal, the parties are to create a unified army and agree on the number and boundaries of states.