A recent cabinet meeting in progress | Credit | Courtesy

The national cabinet has demanded that the Opposition Alliance, SSOA urgently discuss the status of Jonglei State and report to the head of state by Monday.

The directive comes after a high-level committee headed by Vice President Hussein Abdelbagi presented its investigative findings on issues concerning governance in Lakes and Jonglei States

According to the Minister of Information, the report covered all aspects of working relations between different government institutions in the neighboring states.

Regarding Jonglei, Michael Makuei said the committee listed 28 findings and suggested 25 recommendations to the national government to enable the state move forward.

The national government spokesperson was speaking to reporters after the regular Council of Ministers meeting chaired by President Salva Kiir on Friday.

“After thorough deliberation on the two states, the cabinet applauded and appreciated the report of the Vice President and adopted the recommendations which were made by the Vice President on the two States,

‘Thereafter, it directed the leadership of SSOA, South Sudan Opposition Alliance to meet today, tomorrow, and next tomorrow, and by Monday they report to the President on the issue of Jonglei State,” he said.

The government spokesperson did not elaborate on the recommendations.

However, the government of Jonglei state has been in turmoil due to wrangles in what appears to be a struggle for influence over the state between the peace parties, rendering the institutions increasingly dysfunctional.

The political crisis began as a dispute between the governor and the state speaker, Amer Ateny.

In mid-February, Governor Denay Chago sacked Ateny, an SPLM-IO member, prompting the party lawmakers to boycott the August house.

Three months later, President Salva Kiir reinstated the Speaker.

Amer’s reinstatement came hours after President Salva Kiir and his First Deputy, Dr. RieK Machar met and discussed outstanding issues related to the peace implementation.

Governor Chago had not only sacked the Speaker but other officials following a dispute between Bor Municipal Council and the locals over a land dispute at Bor Market, which saw women protesting a move to evict them.

Mid-last month, the governor brought back the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Forestry to office, after suspending him for more than a year since January 2022.

John Chuol Malou was appointed to the state ministerial position by President Salva Kiir in February 2021.

Both Minister Chuol and Governor Chagor hail from the SSOA coalition.

In March, governor Chagor relieved the Mayor of Bor town in a gubernatorial amid the disputed leasing of public land to investors in the state capital.

He also reinstated Isaac Mamer, the Minister of Land, Housing, and Public Utilities, who was suspended by his deputy Jacob Akech Dengdit, an SPLM on March 23, 2023.

The minister was suspended amid land disputes – including the eviction of women from their selling point as well as the issue of Bor City Garden.

Mamer believes that he might have been suspended because he canceled all the local arrangements made by the Bor town Mayor and gave those lands back to their owners.

In Lakes State, Michael Makuei said the committee came out with 12 findings on what he referred to as shortcomings and gave 10 recommendations for the State to move in the right direction.

When asked to elaborate on the findings Michael Makuei said issues are administrative but described Jonglei’s case as the worst,

“Most of the issues which are found, are administrative issues that need to be corrected to improve working relations between the various organs of the government in the states.

“Lakes State is better but Jonglei State is worst. These are mere administrative issues I cannot identify some of them.”