New bridge at Jur River constructed by Chinese government - Courtesy

Western Bahr el Ghazal leaders have formed a committee comprising five members to address the dispute over the name of the new Jur River Bridge in the state.

The meeting at the weekend came weeks after the Luo Youth of Jur River County protested the alleged name of the Chinese-built bridge after the late freedom fighter Clement Boro.

The angry youth argued that such a move would cause societal and land-grabbing-related insecurity in future.

On October 5, 2023, Luo Youth Association’s Chairperson said following the protest his deputy Santino Madut was arrested on the orders of state assembly speaker Mohamed Abakar Mohameden.

Mr Madut and other youths were accused of allegedly attacking the Speaker’s residence.

At the weekend, Western Bahr el Ghazal politicians met to find the way forward to the conflict and decided to form a five-member committee to investigate the matter.

The committee is headed by the deputy speaker of the Revitalized Transitional National Legislature Kornilo Kon and deputized by lawmaker Mark Nyapuoch.

Speaking to Eye Radio, national MP from Jur River Juma Zachariah revealed the decision to rename the Bridge was decided by a Council of Ministers.

According to him, the committee will set foot on the ground to dialogue with the locals over the matter, but the decision is the responsibility of the national government.

Deng spoke to Eye Radio this afternoon in Juba.

“We sat for a meeting at Dembesh Hotel and we discussed the consequences naming of the new bridge in the state in the name of the late Clement Amboro,” said Zachariah.

‘There were different opinions in the meeting, and now a committee have been formed and is waiting to go to Wau,” he said.

“I have expressed my position that the naming of the bridge is not the responsibility of Jur River leaders but is the responsibility of the national government.”

“This committee should be formed from the members of the national parliament of the three counties of Western Bahr el Ghazal State because we cannot create something.”

“We give it a responsibility to the specific geographical group, and if it came from the council of ministers.

“We have to form a committee to represent all sons and daughters of Western Bahr el Ghazal in the national parliament and to sit with the people of Jur River because Jur River is part and particle of Western Bahr el Ghazal State.”

In 2020, the Chinese government offered to build a bridge for South Sudan and the national government agreed it to be constructed on the Jur River.

The Chinese-built new bridge is reportedly slated to be commissioned towards the end of this year.