Eastern Equatoria Assembly Business Committee or ABC on Thursday approved two million South Sudanese Pounds to fund Equatoria peace initiative.
Local Government and Law Enforcement Minister Lokai Iko said he presented the request from the council of ministers to get loan from the national government, Radio Emmanuel reported.
Expressing gratitude over the approval of the memo, Lokai said the state government is expected to raise a supplementary budget to refund the loan, refuting speculations that the money would be drawn from the state pension funds.
The minister clarified that the Intergovernmental Authority for Development or IGAD that mediates peace talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia does not fund the Equatoria initiative as it aims at incorporation the views of the region into the peace frame in South Sudan.
Eastern Equatoria Assembly Speaker Tobiolo Alberio Oromo said the house acknowledged the importance of the Equatoria Governors involvement in the negotiations to clarify the position of the region.