Political analyst, Andrea Mach Mabior says the solution is not about changing the personality or background of the governor but strengthening the systems that support governance

By Aguok Chok

There is no direct correlation between the background of the governors being changed in Warrap State to the deep-rooted challenges bedeviling the state, a renowned political analyst has said.

In an exclusive interview with The City Review on Sunday, Andrea Mach Mabior argued that the appointment of either a diplomat or military-sourced governor will not solve the deep-rooted issues facing Warrap State. Instead, he said, real solution lies in restoring the rule of law and empowering law enforcement institutions.

“The background of the governor has nothing to do with the problem of Warrap State,” Mabior said. “Whether you bring a soldier or a diplomat, whether you bring a doctor, it will not solve the problem of Warrap State. What will end the violence is to bring law and order in Warrap State through empowering law enforcement agencies,” he said.

Mabior explained that the violence in Warrap is not an isolated case. Similar issues are occurring in some other parts of South Sudan, including Jonglei State, Upper Nile, Unity State, and Eastern Equatoria. And the root causes of these problems are the same: weak institutions and lack of respect for the rule of law, Mabior said.

“What is lacking in Warrap and in many parts of South Sudan is absence of sustained institutions or weak state institutions and disrespect to supremacy or rule of law,” he said. “People are taking law into their own hands. This is a result of weak institutions of these states.”

The political analyst noted that the solution is not about changing the personality or background of the governor but about strengthening the systems that support governance. He urged the new governor of Warrap State to focus on enforcing law and order and to draw lessons from other successful examples, such as Lake State.

“What the new governor needs to do is just to do exactly what Governor Rin Tueny did in Lakes State, which is rule of law,” Mabior stated. “No community should move to attack any other community. If you move from your village to attack another community, you must face the full force of the law.”

He added that enforcing the rule of law would require strong security forces. “If you don’t have a strong police, strong army, strong national security, then the violence will continue in Warrap State,” he warned.

“Additionally, you must disarm the civil population in the area so that people will respect the rule of law. This is what is missing,” he said.

Mabior urged the people of Warrap State to consider themselves one, and avoid the rampant killings.

Finally, Mabior stressed that many of the violent actors are simply criminals taking advantage of the chaos. “Many of these people are criminals. These are just criminals who want to loot and kill people. It’s just chaos,” he said.

He concluded by reiterating his call for nationwide legal reform: “We just need rule of law in South Sudan.”