Lakes is a

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

. It has an area of 43,595.08 km².

Rumbek Rumbek () is the capital of Lakes State in the Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan. Location Rumbek is approximately by road northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in the country. Its coordinates are and its elevation is abov ...

is the capital of the state. Lakes is in the

Bahr el Ghazal Bahr el-Ghazal (, also transliterated ''Bahr al-Ghazal'', ''Baḥr 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 * Bahr el-Ghazal (wadi in ...

region of South Sudan, in addition to

Northern Bahr el Ghazal Northern Bahr el Ghazal (Arabic: ولاية شمال بحر الغزال) is a States of South Sudan, state in South Sudan. It has an area of 30,543 km2 and is part of the Bahr el Ghazal (region of South Sudan), Bahr el Ghazal region. It b ...

Western Bahr el Ghazal Western Bahr el Ghazal is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of and as of 2020 has estimated 600,000 in population. It is part of the Bahr el Ghazal region. Its capital is Wau. The state shared international borders with Sudan to the north ...

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

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

Equatoria Equatoria is the southernmost region of South Sudan, along the upper reaches of the White Nile and the border between South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Juba, the national capital is the largest city in South S ...

in 1948. The eastern border was the

White Nile The White Nile ( ') is a river in Africa, the minor of the two main tributaries of the Nile, the larger being the Blue Nile. The name "White" comes from the clay sediment carried in the water that changes the water to a pale color. In the stri ...

with

Jonglei State Jonglei State is a States of South Sudan, state of South Sudan with Bor, South Sudan, Bor as its centre of government and the biggest city. Jonglei state comprises nine counties: Bor District (South Sudan), Bor, Akobo County, Akobo, Ayod County, ...

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 preside ...

. Other borders included

Warrap State Warrap is one of the ten states in South Sudan with its Headquarters at Kuajok. Warrap state is located in the Bahr el Ghazal region. The state was separately established in 2005 following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between ...

towards the northwest,

Western Equatoria Western Equatoria is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of . The state capital is Yambio. The state was divided into counties, each headed by a County Commissioner. Western Equatoria seceded from Sudan as part of the Republic of South Sud ...

to the south and west, and

Central Equatoria Central Equatoria is a states of South Sudan, state in South Sudan. With an area of , it is the smallest of the original South Sudanese states. Its previous name was Bahr al-Jabal (also Bahr-el-Jebel), named after a tributary of the White Nile t ...

to the south. In July 2011,

Ramciel Ramciel is located in Yirol East County, in Lakes States, in the Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan. It has been proposed to be the future national capital. Geography Ramciel is about north of Juba. There is currently no tarmacked road betw ...

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, Central Equatoria State. It is the most recently declared national capital and had a populatio ...

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), commonly known as Salva Kiir, is a South Sudanese politician who is the President of South Sudan since its independence on 9 July 2011. Prior to independence, he was the List of heads of state of So ...

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 Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

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