Demonstrators burnt tires in Renk on Sundayc| Credit | Courtesy

Demonstrations against the return to the former ten states have entered the second day in Renk.

Renk town, the former headquarters of the defunct Northern Upper Nile State, is located in the northeastern part of South Sudan, close to Sudan.

Over the weekend, President Salva Kiir agreed to return the country to ten states and create three administrative areas.

The three administrative areas are Ruweng, Greater Pibor, and Abyei.

Some parts of the country celebrated the decision. But in Renk, some inhabitants took to the streets to express their disapproval.

The protesters burnt tires and blocked roads as they chanted slogans against the ten states, and demanded a return to the 32 states.

“Our demands are our rights. We longed for this state since the colonization and during different times of the Sudanese governments,” Atet Monjdeng, mayor of Renk town, told Eye Radio.

Another traditional leader, the Chief of Abiliang community, Kur Anyang Kur, insisted that they want their state.

“Our demand is the state. If South Sudan does not like us, we are going to leave South Sudan for Sudan,” he stated.

“It is better for us to be slaves of Sudanese than be slaves of South Sudanese.”

The dispute over the number of states and boundaries has been one of the issues delaying the formation of the unity government.

The parties are expected to form the long-awaited unity government this weekend.