Gbudwe State


Gbudwe State was a state in South Sudan that existed between 2 October 2015 and 22 February 2020.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. The state had a population of 364,272 in 2008.

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. 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. In November the South Sudanese parliament empowered President Kiir to create new states.
Patrick Raphael was appointed Governor on 24 December 2015.

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.

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:
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. Other towns and villages in the state include Ezo, Nzara, and Tumbura.