The East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) has urged regional body’s Council of Ministers to develop a regional urban planning policy for the bloc to have better co-ordinated cities and cross-border towns and put in place remedial measures to disasters.

A Resolution, moved by Hon Nancy Abisai to that effect was adopted by the Assembly, and members want the Council of Ministers to establish an Urban Development Desk at the EAC to co-ordinate urban development matters in the region.

“Large concentrations of people and goods providing for increased opportunities for creativity, larger labor markets, and higher levels of productivity, not to speak of the cultural and political opportunities associated with urban life is the norm” a section of the Resolution states.

In her justification, Hon Abisai said that population growth has doubled in a number of countries in the globe, with Uganda and Tanzania expected to double their population by the year 2050.

According to Hon Abisai, Uganda which has a populace of 39 million is expected to have over 100 million in the next thirty four years, while Tanzania which has an estimated population of 53.7 million people will see the growth reach 137 million people during the same period.

During debate, Hon Christopher Opoka, Hon Kirunda Kivejinja, Hon Sarah Bonaya, Hon Frederic Ngenzebuhoro all supported the motion.

Analysts contend that the recent rainstorms, mudslides and floods in the capital cities of some of the EAC Partner States and other weather phenomena have exacted a devastating toll on property, human welfare, natural resources and the economies, with more than 95% of all deaths caused by disasters occurring in areas which are mostly unplanned.

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Conflict has emerged over interpretation of the would-be formed committee by the South Sudanese presidency to review the number and boundaries of states in the country, with differing explanations as to the main purpose of the committee in determining the status of states in South Sudan.

The presidency composed of President Salva Kiir and his two deputies, Riek Machar and James Wani, on Wednesday resolved to form a 15-member committee to review the 28 states unilaterally created by the former government despite a peace agreement signed on the basis of 10 states.

In a public joint spoken statement after the meeting, Machar and Wani said the committee would determine the number of new states and their boundaries.

The inclusive membership committee would include 10 from South Sudanese peace partners and the other five from the international community. The committee will recommend a way forward within 30 days.

However, Ateny Wek Ateny, President Kiir’s press secretary, told the media that the main purpose of the committee was not about the number of states, but rather about reviewing the boundaries of the created new 28 states which ‘bother’ people.

He said the committee’s task will be to try to determine the boundaries of the 28 states, but added that they may add more states to the current 28 but will not be allowed to reduce the number.

“The importance of the committee is specifically to settle the borders and see the problems that bother the states. The committee can come up with a recommendation to increase the number of states but it’s impossible that it could be less than 28 states. Because nobody will accept that his state will be removed. Nobody will want that. Whose state will be removed and whose state will remain,” he asked.

But in a interview, James Gatdet Dak, First Vice President Machar’s press secretary, told the UN radio Miraya that the committee will review the “number of the states as well as their boundaries.”

He said if the committee will not agree on the number of states, they will simply revert to the 10 states as provided for in the August 2015 peace agreement.

When contacted in a separate interview, Dak said the armed opposition faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) is for the 10 states as a priority.

“As for the SPLM (IO), we want to abide by the peace agreement. The agreement talks of the 10 states. This is our priority now, not 21 or 28 states,” Dak said, while referring to 21 states earlier proposed by the SPLM-IO during the peace negotiations in Addis Ababa last year and the 28 states created by President Kiir’s faction in Juba five weeks after the peace agreement was signed.

Dak said more states may be premature for now given the security and economic challenges in the implementation of the peace agreement, coupled with the conflicts over states boundaries that the new 28 states have brought about.

He said the country, through the 15-member inclusive committee, may soon within 30 days confirm maintaining the 10 states and delay creation of more states to later period in the transitional period or after 2018 elections.

Dak acknowledged that the presidency had not yet put on paper the terms of reference for the 15-member committee, adding ‘this could be the reason for the misinterpretation of the task given to the committee’

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Two United Nations agencies have joined forces to distribute seeds and agricultural tools to 200,000 refugees and their host communities across South Sudan, helping them become more self-sufficient in a country facing a serious food crisis.

This year, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have jointly contributed 186 tons of crop seeds, assorted vegetable seeds, hand tools and fishing kits for refugees and local communities in Unity, Upper Nile, Jonglei, Central Equatoria and Western Equatoria.

“We are pleased to announce that these interventions are working well, but we are also looking beyond quick-fix solutions that help refugees become more self-reliant and less dependent on humanitarian assistance in the long run,” said UNHCR Representative Ahmed Warsame. “This is the essence of the UNHCR-FAO partnership.”

“People here lack the resources to buy the things they need to start planting and need support to be able to produce their own food,” said FAO Representative Serge Tissot. “These distributions have been very timely since the planting season has just started.”

Assessments have shown that the food and nutrition security situation is worrying in many parts of the country, including in Upper Nile – a region hosting four refugee camps and South Sudan’s largest refugee population of 134,000 Sudanese refugees.

A nutrition survey, conducted in late 2015, found that Upper Nile’s Maban refugee camps registered higher levels of malnutrition compared to 2014. This was particularly the case in Doro camp, where the rates of Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) were respectively 15.5 per cent and 2.6 per cent – above UNHCR standards of 10 per cent and 2 per cent.

“Without seed distributions we cannot survive. Not all of us are able to keep seeds for next year, some people do, but because of lack of food, sometimes we are forced to eat the seeds kept for planting,” said a Sudanese refugee from Blue Nile state. “We hope for peace so that we can return home, where we can be free.” she added.

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In unexpected move which is described as a breakthrough, the South Sudan’s presidency has agreed to review the 28 states and come up with a recommendation on the number of new states within 30 days.

The resolution came out after a joint meeting of the President, Salva Kiir, First Vice President, Riek Machar and Vice President, James Wani, at the presidential palace yesterday.

In a joint statement to the press by the two deputies after the meeting, a committee of 15 members will be constituted from all the parties to the August 2015 peace agreement and from the international partners to come up with recommendation on new states.

“We discussed the issue of the 28 states. We decided to tackle this through a committee. That committee will be composed of 15 members…So that they can work on the number of states, review them and they come up with recommendation on the number of the states and this will be within 30 days. Within 30 days this work will be done,” said First Vice President, Riek Machar, in a press statement to the media following the meeting, also broadcasted on the South Sudan TV, (SSTV) on Wednesday evening.

Machar said the 15 members of the committee will include 10 South Sudanese from the parties in the peace deal and 5 others from the international partners. He added that they would ask South Africa and Tanzania to bring in two members from their countries.

Also, Vice President, James Wani, who also spoke to the press with Machar, confirmed the outcome of the joint meeting of the Presidency with President Kiir’s participation.

“Really, I have nothing to say further, what the First Vice President has just articulated is absolutely in place. These are the issues we agreed on,” Vice President Wani said.

“But one would want to underline the fact that the meeting of today by the three of us has been one of the most successful meetings,” Wani added.

He reaffirmed that the inclusive committee to be formed will not only review the number of states but also work and recommend on their new boundaries within 30 days. It was not however clear when the committee will be formed to start their work on the new states.

Machar also said the Wednesday meeting tackled the need to release prisoners of war on both sides.

He also said the presidency has agreed to come up with a budget for cantonment of forces in the country.

The rest of the remaining issues, they said, will be tackled during the coming Friday’s council of ministers meeting.

Earlier, in a 31 January resolution, the East African regional bloc, IGAD, which brokered the peace agreement, called on the parties to form a boundary commission to work on the number of new states within 30 days, or revert to the current 10 states in case of no agreement.

Observers close to the decision making processes in the rival parties say the most probable outcome will be for the parties to revert to the 10 states, citing lack of agreement.

Earlier, the government said the issue of the 28 states was a ‘red line’ and refused to review them, but the Wednesday breakthrough has come as a positive step.

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