By Yiep Joseph
Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Peter Mayen Majokdit, has urged President Salva Kiir to return the country to 28 states to ensure equal power-sharing as part of a solution to the conflict in South Sudan.
Mayen is Chairman of the Umbrella of Political Parties, leader of the People’s Liberal Party (PLP), and a signatory to the 2018 peace agreement, which is currently facing many challenges.
According to Mayen, a return to 28 states will ensure equitable sharing of power and resources.
He noted that the current conflict in the country is related to power struggles and the allocation of resources, highlighting the need for the government to consider returning the nation to 28 states as part of the solution.
“The reconsideration of returning to the 28-state system is not merely an administrative adjustment but a pathway to address the challenges posed by the current 10-state structure and to lay a foundation for a peaceful, inclusive, and democratic South Sudan,” Mayen said.
He expressed that under the ten-state system, separate areas struggle with poor structures and services.
“Under the 10-state system, resources are disproportionately allocated, leaving many rural areas underserved while urban centers receive more attention. This disparity exacerbates inequalities and hinders national development efforts,” he stated.
He attributes the series of communal conflicts across the country to the fewer states, which he claims encourage politicians to compete by dividing communities.
“The concentration of power in fewer states has intensified competition among ethnic groups for control over resources and political positions. This dynamic has fueled local conflicts and undermined reconciliation efforts at both community and national levels,” he noted.
Mayen believes that under the 28 states, it would be easier to provide services as well as to ensure equal power sharing.
In 2015, South Sudan’s warring parties signed an agreement based on 10 states as enshrined in South Sudan’s Transitional Constitution.
However, the Kiir administration made a unilateral decision to increase the number of states to 28 and later to 32, a move bitterly criticized by opposition groups, as it was considered a flagrant violation of the Constitution and the Peace Agreement.
After facing serious criticism, President Salva Kiir returned the country to 10 states and three Administrative Areas in 2020.