The newly constructed Jur River bridge named after the South Sudanese veteran Politician Clement Mboro. Credit: Voice of Hope Radio 98.65 FM Wau

Some youth leaders in Jur River County of Western Bahr el Ghazal have rejected a decision by the national government to name new Jur River Bridge after veteran politician Clement Mboro.

The bridge is still under construction.

However, last week, the Council of Ministers chaired by President Salva Kiir endorsed a proposal to name the new bridge in honor of Clement Mboro.

The proposal was tabled before the Council of Ministers meeting on Friday by the Minister of Roads and Bridges Simon Mijok Majak.

Michael Makuei, the Minister of Information and government spokesperson made the announcement after the regular council of Ministers meeting in Juba on Friday.

“River Jur Bridge off course is that bridge in Wau and there were three issues raised by the Minister. One was the name of the bridge, two was an amount to be paid to the people who are displaced by the bridge from both sides of the river,” Makuei said.

“Of course the new bridge will displace people on both sides and these people need to be compensated and relocated.

“The name of the bridge was discussed by the cabinet and it was agreed that it should be called Clement Mboro Bridge.”

Clement Mboro was the first senior Southerner to be appointed to the important post of Minister of the Interior in Sudanese regime before Omar Bashir.

He was said to have used the position to declare an amnesty for fighters in the south which paved the way for a new climate to encourage negotiations with Sudanese administrators in the South in 1964.

Following the Addis Ababa peace agreement in February 1972, he accepted President Nimeri’s call to help resettle refugees back into the south.

Reacting to the move, some youth leaders in Jur River County rejected the move, arguing that the government did not use the right procedures.

Others say they wanted the local population to be consulted first before the adoption.

“I am here disputing this in the strongest terms that we will never ever accept that name to be changed,” Gabriel Dhal Yak, Jur River County youth chairperson told Eye Radio.

“The approach should be for the state government to table the proposed name at the state parliament so that the representative of the people discusses the name they wish to be given,” Aldo Gok, youth Jur River County said.

“Maybe the citizens of Western Bahr el Ghazal want the name to be maybe Sarah Cleto or maybe Salva Kiir or maybe the name that they wish.”

“Our reaction doesn’t mean that we don’t consider what he has done to his entire community during his time but there is no need to change the name. If there is a need to change that name, then it should be in a certain way or consultation would have been made,” Alfred Angok Uliny Executive for Alliance Land Right South Sudan said.

But Minister Michael Makuei insisted the name is to honor the veteran politician, Clement Mboro.

“Clement Mboro is one of our veteran politicians in South Sudan and he comes from Wau. As such, the cabinet decided to name that new bridge after his name so the bridge shall be called Clement Mboro Bridge,” Makuei said.

“There were other proposals made in terms of the name of the bridge and that was either Salva Kiir Bridge or Wau Bridge, or Freedom Bridge.

“The cabinet came up with this name in remembrance of the veteran politician Clement Mboro. So this is the name of the bridge that is under construction now in Wau.”

It is expected to finish within 30 months.

However, the old Jur River Bridge was built in 1973 by the then Sudan government and had gone under numerous repairs.