South Sudan plans to build new capital in former game park

JUBA, South Sudan – South Sudan is planning to construct a new state capital in a central location in what was a wildlife park, a move that officials say will make the seat of government more accessible to the people, the government said on Wednesday.

"We're not supposed to have our capital near the borders. The capital is the center of everything and it needs to be easy for everyone to come," government spokesman Michael Makuei told The Associated Press.

The new capital, to be named Ramciel, will be located in Lakes State and will be built in an area that was previously a rhino sanctuary in the forest. The land is currently uninhabited and lacks basic infrastructure such as roads and electricity.

The initial planning for the project is being funded by approximately $5 million from Morocco and will be carried out by South Korea. Morrocan and Korean engineers will visit the site this week to begin demarcating areas for roads, utilities, markets, residential areas and key government installations.

Plans to move the capital from Juba, where it is now, to the new city have been in the works since before South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011, said the government. Morocco's decision to contribute to the project was discussed during King Mohammed VI's trip to the war-torn nation in February, 2017.

The executive branch will move to Ramciel, while Juba will remain South Sudan's commercial center as well as either the judicial or legislative hub, he said.

Five years of civil war have devastated South Sudan, killing almost 400,000 people and displacing millions. The power sharing agreement signed by warring parties in September is the latest attempt at peace, although implementation of the accord has been fraught with delays and there has been continued fighting in parts of the country.

At least one South Sudan analyst says the move to the new capital should not be a priority.

"Roads, health, education, economy and a stabilization agenda should top the list," Augustino Ting Mayai, a researcher at the Sudd Institute in Juba.