Citizens in Renk County in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State have protested the decision taken by Governor Simon Kun Puoc relocating the state capital temporarily to Renk.

Earlier this week the state information minister told Radio Tamazuj the state government would operate from Renk “until the security problem is resolved in Malakal,” which remains mostly abandoned, looted and under opposition control.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, several residents and civil society groups from Renk said relocation of the capital to their area will jeopardise the relative stability witnessed by the area.

They criticized the way the governor is administering the state’s affairs since the fighting erupted in Upper Nile State in December last year. Emmanuel Bargel, a local resident, said the conflict in Upper Nile State should have been resolved far away from Renk County.

He noted the county accommodates all ethnic groups and is a border county with Sudan, which he said disqualifies it to be the capital city of Upper Nile State.

“The locals believe that in case the capital is relocated to Renk, what happened in Malakal will repeat itself in Renk town,” he explained.

“The governor is supposed to care for his citizens instead of thinking about relocating the state capital to Renk,” he added.

Ayiik Akuei, a member of the Upper Nile Legislative Assembly, said Renk County is an important area in terms of agricultural production and a paradigm of social cohesion in South Sudan.

“The governor is having some political differences with many people in the SPLM secretariat in the state as well as the State Assembly, therefore when he comes to Renk it will create political unrest and affect the social fabric in Renk County,” he said.

“The governor neither dismissed the officials who have rebelled against the government, nor paid the salaries of the displaced civil servants in the state,” he added.

Going further, the lawmaker said the governor did not come to visit the displaced who are suffering from hunger and shortage of basic services since arriving to Renk after fleeing conflict elsewhere in the state.

He also pointed out that no representative of the people in Renk participated in the meeting held in Juba in which the transfer decision was taken by the governor.

Guot Akuei, commissioner of Renk County, confirmed also that there was a ‘peaceful march’ on Monday against the transfer decision.

“The community came out to reject proposal of the state government which designates Renk town as the temporary state capital,” he said in an interview published this morning by Sudan Tribune website. 

“What they stated in their petition is that designation of the area as state capital would extend conflict to the area, because people from different ethnic groups working in the state government would also relocate to Renk,” explained Akuei.

Related coverage:

Upper Nile relocates state capital to Renk (10 March)

Malakal overrun third time by opposition fighters (18 Feb.)

South Sudan army retakes Malakal; many civilian casualties (27 Dec.)