Tonj State

Tonj State
State

Location of Tonj State within South Sudan
Country South Sudan
Capital Tonj[1]
Number of Counties 18[2]
Number of municipalities 1[3]
Government
 • Governor Akec Tong Aleu
Population (2014 Estimate)
 • Total 448,950

Tonj State is one of the 28 states of South Sudan. It is located in the Bahr el Ghazal region and it borders Wau to the west, Gbudwe to the southwest, Gogrial to the northwest, Northern Liech to the northeast, Gok and Southern Liech to the east, and Western Lakes to the south and east.[4]

History

On 2 October 2015, President Salva Kiir issued a decree establishing 28 states in place of the 10 constitutionally established states.[5] The decree established the new states largely along ethnic lines. A number of opposition parties and civil society groups challenged the constitutionality of the decree. Kiir later resolved to take it to parliament for approval as a constitutional amendment.[6] In November the South Sudanese parliament empowered President Kiir to create new states.[7]

Tonj State comprises what was formerly Tonj North, Tonj East and Tonj South Counties.[8] The area is so large that at one time the South Sudan government considered dividing it up into two states instead of having one Tonj State.[9] Previously, the areas comprising Tonj State had been part of Warrap State from 2011 to 2015.[10] The city of Tonj serves the State Capital.[8] Akec Tong Aleu was appointed Governor on 24 December 2015.[11] The state cabinent, consisting of seven ministers and three advisors, was approved by the state's members of parliament in March 2016.[12]

Resources

Tonj State has two major rivers: the Jur River in the northern part of the state and the Tonj River in the southern and eastern parts of the state.[4] Much of the land is considered suitable for agrarian activities.[4][13]

Administrative divisions

The state consists of 18 counties, largest of any state in South Sudan. It also contains the municipality of Tonj.[2][3][14] The names of the counties are:

References

  1. ↑ "Tonj State Capital Attacked By Pastoralists". Gurtong. 29 May 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 Atekdit, Ariik (15 May 2016). "Tonj Governor Announces Formation Of 18 Counties". Gurtong. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  3. 1 2 Atekdit, Ariik (17 June 2016). "Tonj Municipality Names Main Roundabout After William Deng Nhial". Gurtong. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "The Tonj area of the ECS Diocese of Wau: Water Project". www.tonj.wau.anglican.org. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  5. ↑ "Kiir and Makuei want 28 states in South Sudan". Radio Tamazuj.
  6. ↑ "Kiir pressured into taking decree to parliament for approval". Radio Tamazuj.
  7. ↑ "South Sudan's Kiir appoints governors of 28 new states". Sudan Tribune.
  8. 1 2 Mayom, Jok P (5 October 2015). "28 States In South Sudan". www.gurtong.net. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  9. ↑ "Akop community in Tonj State petitions for more counties | Radio Tamazuj". Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  10. ↑ Johnson, Douglas H. "Brief Analysis of the Boundaries of the 28 States" (PDF).
  11. ↑ "South Sudan's President appoints 28 Governors, defies peace agreement". South Sudan News Agency. 24 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "Tonj Assembly approves appointment of cabinet ministers | Radio Tamazuj". 6 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  13. ↑ Desk, News. "Tonj State governor to tackle food insecurity". The Nation Mirror: South Sudan First Authoratative Daily. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  14. ↑ Atekdit, Ariik (28 June 2016). "Tonj State Governor Appoints Commissioners For 19 Counties". Gurtong. Retrieved 14 August 2016.

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.