WAY FROWARD FOR MAKAL COUNTY CRISIS

Of course, Makal County crisis was a making of the governor with invisible pushes as planned from behind. The motives have become clear in recent weeks. The creation of a city with a mayor was to take over the east bank of the Nile inhabited by Shilluk and force them to move to west bank. The County has to be starved of revenues in order to cripple to nothingness.

The County youth that left for Juba to take their case to higher authorities will come back without results since no Shilluk politician in Juba received them open heartily. They got lip sympathies encouragement from Shilluk notables and no more.

In the long run the county will survive, remain in Malakal town and strong. The county has well educated sons and daughters that can contribute positively to its development if they well utilized. The will need to be re-structured with proper monograph in the following manner;

1. Commissioner of the County.

2. Executive Director Group 1, deputy of the commissioner

3. Deputy Executive Director Group 2– For three Payam in Malakal Town (Urban Areas).

4. Deputy Executive Director Group 2 – For Two Payams Lelo and Odod (Rural Areas).

5. County Administration and Finance Department under Executive Director.

6. Departments of Health, Public and Environmental Health.

7. Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

8. Department of Lands, Roads and Bridges.

9. Department of Education.

10. Department of Police and Security.

11. County Justice Department

In the process of re-structuring other identified departments will follow. The commissioner can appoint for now, County Legislative Body that he can refer to in case of policy and planning of the county affairs. This will save guard him from encroachment of the state authorities into the affairs of the county. The above mentioned departments exist in Renk County which does not contradict with state authorities. The governor is forgetting that he is responsible for thirteen counties and not Makal alone. Should the governor later wish to move the capital of the state to another county, then he will be free to do so.

The seat of the County will remain as Malakal town and will have nothing to do with Malakal as a State Capital. The governor can remain with the mayor if he wishes to govern Malakal Town like Berlin or Rome. The mayor can take his directives from the governor and not commissioner.

In this way, Makal County community can avoid conflict initiated by the governor. We all know, this governor is doing a lot of rubbish things. He is pleasing his Nuer and Dinka Communities and wants to survive in the trouble waters. He is well armed to the teeth with militias of SPLA and police who are paid from Upper Nile budget.

The Makal county community should now look at making an all conference to come up with strategic plans on how to develop the county and prepare for border conference to resolve the disputes among different ethnic groups. The community have the potentials to come out these crises brought about by the governor and his followers.

Yorwin Otor can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.