A legislator representing the Jie community in Eastern Equatoria State Legislative Assembly has raised concerns over the inclusion of the community. under the new Greater Pibor Administrative Area.

The Jie community lives across the boundaries of Kapoeta East and Pibor Counties.

Hon Benjamin Lopeyok who represents Mogos and Jie Payams in the state assembly says the Jie community falls under the administration of Eastern Equatoria state.

Early this month, the government and the South Sudan Democratic Movement – Cobra Faction, signed a peace deal that will establish an independent administrative area for Pibor County.

The boundaries of the area shall comprise of 6 Counties from the current Pibor and Pochalla Counties.

The agreement says the Murle, Anyuak, Kachipo and the Jie communities will be governed by the new administration.

However, Hon Lopeyok told Eye Radio from Torit that the Jie community originally lives within the boundary of Eastern Equatoria state.

“Truly speaking, I as a representative of those people representing Jie people I do hereby totally disagree with that point of Yau Yau calling Jie people to be under his administration,” Hon Lopeyok argued.

On the issue of settlement, you know our constitution is also clear that anybody who needs to settle anywhere freely, he will settle, but as individuals because there are some of Jie who are settled in Buma – that is why maybe David Yau Yau mentioned Jie because the small group there are some people who are settled in Buma.

“But the 99% of the Jie are under Eastern Equatoria state, in particular Kapoeta East County.”

Hon Lopeyok said the Jie politicians and the community were not involved in the demand for a separate administrative area in Jonglei state.

The peace talks between the government and Mr Yau Yau was led by the Church Leaders’ Mediation Initiative.

The chief mediator, Retired Bishop Paride Taban told Eye Radio that only those who fall under the 1956 boundaries will be considered part of the new administrative area.

He said leaders of the Jie community should have raised the matter while discussions were on going between David Yau Yau and the government in Addis Ababa.

“People should not wait until the end; that complaint should have been raised in the year we were doing it,” he said.

“In our peace agreement, we put very clearly; we said in Buma, there is a community of Jie, and we didn’t see them as tribes, we see them as community, and a community who joined Yau-Yau.

“And we said clearly also that what they have is the boundary of Pibor from the map of 1st January, 1956 -that is the thing. If they are outside that, I do not think that there is any problem.”

The agreement makes the Greater Pibor Administrative Area autonomous from the Jonglei state administration.

Last week, Eastern Equatoria state Legislative Assembly formed a 13-member committee to appeal to the Council of States over the inclusion of Kasengor Buma under the new administration.

Kasengor is inhabited mainly by the Jie community.

The Council of States is expected to approve the agreement before the President issues a decree to form the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.