Gbudwe State
Gbudwe State was a state in South Sudan that existed between 2 October 2015 and 22 February 2020.[4]It was created from Western Equatoria state. Tambura State was split from Gbudwe State on January 14, 2017. Gbudwe State was located in the Equatoria region. Gbudwe bordered the states of Maridi, Tambura, and Western Lakes, and also the country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[5] The state had a population of 364,272 in 2008.[3]
Gbudwe State | |
---|---|
Location of Gbudwe State in South Sudan before the split of Tambura State in 2017 | |
Country | South Sudan |
Capital | Yambio[1] |
Number of Counties | 13[2] |
Population (2008) | |
• Total | 364,272[3] |
History
Before the creation of the state, Gbudwe State was part of Western Equatoria. On 2 October 2015, President Salva Kiir issued a decree establishing 28 states in place of the 10 constitutionally established states.[6] 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.[7] In November the South Sudanese parliament empowered President Kiir to create new states.[8]
Patrick Raphael was appointed Governor on 24 December 2015.[9]
Geography
Gbudwe State is located in the Equatoria region and the state borders the states of Wau State to the north, Tonj State to the northeast, the country of Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south, Maridi State to the southeast, the country of Central African Republic to the west, and Western Lakes State to the east.[5]
Administrative divisions
After the original states split up, Gbudwe State broke down even further for a total of 13 counties in the state. The 13 counties are part of the 180 counties in South Sudan. Also, each county receives a county commissioner. The 13 counties are consisted of the following:[2]
- Former Nzara County:
- Basukangbi
- Nzara
- Sakure
- Former Ezo County:
- Ezo
- Naandi
- Former Nagero County:
- Nagero
- Former Tombura County:
- Mopoi
- Ri-Yubu
- Tombura
- Former Yambio County:
- Bangazagino
- Bangasu
- Yambio
The counties are further sub-divided into payams, and the payams are then further sub-divided into bomas.
Creation of Tambura State
On January 14, 2017, President Kiir issued a presidential decree that increased the number of federal states from 28 to 32. One of them was Tambura State after it was formed and split from Gbudwe State, with Tambura as its capital. It comprises the former Tambura and Nagero counties within the Equatoria Region.
Towns and cities
The capital of Gbudwe State was Yambio, located in Yambio County. The town had an estimated population of around 31,700 in 2011.[10] Other towns and villages in the state include Ezo, Nzara, and Tumbura.[3]
References
- "Outgoing police spokesman to be Gbudwe State police commissioner". Radio Tamazuj. 8 March 2016. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- "Gbudue Governor creates 13 new counties". Sudan Tribune. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- "Western Equatoria Population". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- Mutambo, Aggrey. "S. Sudan govt agrees to reduce states to 10 to maintain peace". The East African. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
- "Gbudwe State". south-sudan.biz. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- "Kiir and Makuei want 28 states in South Sudan". Radio Tamazuj. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08.
- "Kiir pressured into taking decree to parliament for approval". Radio Tamazuj. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
- "South Sudan's Kiir appoints governors of 28 new states". Sudan Tribune.
- "South Sudan's President appoints 28 Governors, defies peace agreement". South Sudan News Agency. 24 December 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-02-02.
- "Yambio Population". www.populationmondiale.com. Retrieved 27 November 2016.