Cattle Herders at Cattle Camp in Rumbek, South Sudan

Lakes State is a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...

. It has an area of 43,595.08 km².

Rumbek Rumbek ( ar, رمبك) is the capital of Lakes State, central South Sudan, and the former capital of the country. Location Rumbek is approximately by road northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in the country. Its coordinates are an ...

is the capital of the state. Lakes is in the

Bahr el Ghazal Bahr el-Ghazal (Arabic بحر الغزال , also transliterated ''Bahr al-Ghazal'', ''Baḩr al-Ghazāl'', ''Bahr el-Gazel'', or versions of these without the hyphen) may refer to two distinct places, both named after ephemeral or dry rivers. Chad ...

region of South Sudan, in addition to

Northern Bahr el Ghazal Northern Bahr el Ghazal is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of 30,543 km² and is part of the Bahr el Ghazal region. It borders East Darfur in Sudan to the north, Western Bahr el Ghazal to the west and south, and Warrap and the ...

Western Bahr el Ghazal Western Bahr el Ghazal is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of and is the least populous state in South Sudan, according to the controversial Sudanese census conducted in 2008. It is part of the Bahr el Ghazal region. Its capital is Wau. ...

, and Warrap states. Bahr el Ghazal itself was a former province which was split from the Anglo-Egyptian '' mudiriyat'', or

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Equatoria in 1948. The eastern border was the White Nile with

Jonglei State Jonglei State is a state of South Sudan with Bor as its centre of government and the biggest city. Jonglei state comprises nine counties: Bor, Akobo, Ayod, Uror, Duk, Nyirol, Pigi, Twic East, and Fangak. Jonglei State is the largest st ...

on the opposite bank. To the northeast lied the

Unity State Unity State, also known as Western Upper Nile, is a state in South Sudan. Unity state is in the Greater Upper Nile region. Unity is inhabited predominantly by two ethnic groups: the Nuer majority, and the Dinka minority. In 2015, a president ...

. Other borders included

Warrap State Warrap (also spelled Warab), is a state in South Sudan located in the Bahr el Ghazal region. It has an area of 31,027 km². Overview Warrap State comprises an area of 31,027 km². Kuajok is the capital of Warrap state. All states in South Sudan ...

towards the northwest, Western Equatoria to the south and west, and Central Equatoria to the south. In July 2011,

Ramciel Ramciel is a location in South Sudan that will serve as the site of the future national capital. John Garang, the first president of Southern Sudan, allegedly wanted to place the national capital in Ramciel during his administration, but he died ...

in Lakes state was under consideration by the federal government as a site for a new national capital, which would replace

Juba Juba () is the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The city is situated on the White Nile and also serves as the capital of the Central Equatoria State. It is the world's newest capital city to be elevated as such, and had a population ...

Administration

Like all states in South Sudan, Lakes was divided into counties; there were eight counties, each headed by a County Commissioner. The counties are further divided into ''Payams'', then ''Bomas''.

Disestablishment and re-establishment

Lakes State was disestablished in October 2015 due to South Sudan's President

Salva Kiir Mayardit Salva Kiir Mayardit (born 13 September 1951), also known as Salva Kiir, is a South Sudanese politician who has been the President of South Sudan since its independence on 9 July 2011. Prior to independence, he was the President of the Governmen ...

issuing a decree establishing 28 states in place of the 10 previously established states. As a result, the states of Eastern Lakes, Gok and Western Lakes were created. Lakes state was re-established by a peace agreement signed on 22 February 2020.

Conflict

Cattle raids were persistent in the Lakes State, between the Republic of Sudan and the former rebel group SPLA/M, since the CPA was signed in 2005. Human rights journalist Manyang Mayom reported heavily on government oppression in the Lakes State; his work won him the Human Rights Watch Award on August 4, 2010. Mayom was expelled from the Warrap State in November 2021 for his work in that region with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lakes (State) States of South Sudan Bahr el Ghazal