The deputy governor of South Sudan’s Upper Nile state responded Thursday to a request by community leaders of Renk County that the governor be removed from office over rising insecurity in northern Upper Nile.

On 2 September, a delegation of the Dinka Abilang community in Renk County called for the removal of Upper Nile State Governor Simon Kun Puoch by President Kiir, handing a petition on the matter to the Speaker of South Sudan’s Council of States.

The governor, Simon Kun Puoch, hails from Nasser County and was elected in the Sudanese general elections in April 2010.

Deputy Governor Awiir Dau Agany told Radio Tamazuj that insecurity is a general problem facing all of South Sudan and that it should not be taken as an excuse to oust an elected governor from office.

He described the Dinka Abilang delegation as “opportunist,” saying South Sudan is abiding by the constitution by maintaining him in office.

“The governor was elected by 13 counties and he is still legitimate. So the move by that group neither represents the position of Upper Nile people nor the party,” he said.

In March 2014, the government of Upper Nile State decided to temporarily shift its headquarters to the northernmost major town of Renk after the opposition fighters overran Malakal in mid-February.

The idea, however, was met by resistance by the locals in Renk.

“Some politicians who had a hidden agenda rejected the proposal by the state government to relocate to Renk town,” Awiir noted.

The official stated, however, that the government does not hold grudges against the people of Renk County as claimed by the community delegation.

“Since the formation of the government they were being given positions of speaker, advisor and SPLM chairmanship in the state,” Awiir claimed.

Awiir pointed out that the protection of Renk County is a collective responsibility and that SPLA and other organized forces are directly mandated to protect all of South Sudan including Renk County.

The deputy governor also denied the claim that Renk County is being intentionally neglected by the state government, saying he recently visited the area where the destruction caused by the rebels was assessed. 

Separately, acting governor disclosed that they have recently received annual funding from the national government in Juba.

“You know, we gave 2 million SSP out of 3 million SSP of Upper Nile state transfers to Renk County, so image what can we do more than that for Renk County?” he asked.

File photo: Upper Nile Governor Simon Kun Puoch