Jubek state’s authorities increase the number of states to 39

February 12, 2020 Newsbeat

Pro-39 states demonstrators holding banners written 39 states during today’s protests organised by the government (Photo: File)

February 12, 2020 (SSNN)—As the government and the opposition grapple with the issue of the 32+ and 10 states, authorities in Jubek state have added seven more states during today’s rally, bringing the total number of states to 39.

Today, there were simultaneous demonstrations in the capital, Juba, between pro-government protesters and those who were supporting the country’s return to 10 states as proposed by the IGAD Council of Ministers.

On Sunday, the East African regional bloc, IGAD agreed to the request of the President Salva Kiir Mayardit to conduct further consultations with his constituents and report back to the IGAD Chair on the 15th of February 2020.

During its 70th Extraordinary Session, the IGAD Council of Ministers unveiled a new approach to breaking the deadlock over the number of states and recommended that the government and the opposition parties have two options, either 32 or 10 states.

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit and opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar signed an agreement in September 2018, aimed at ending deadly conflict that has killed nearly 400,000 and displaced millions from their homes.

On Wednesday, the Troika issued a joint statement, urging the parties tackle all pending issues before the formation of the transitional government of national unity.

“With few days remaining until a power sharing government is due to form, time has almost run out. We encourage all parties to exercise the spirit of political compromise at the heart of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) in these final days.”