A/HRC/43/56 16. One key to resolving the impasse is an agreement on the number and boundaries of states, which will ultimately determine the distribution of power across the country. Resolving the issue will be crucial to addressing security arrangements for the capital Juba, establishing a unified army, the restructuring of the Council of States and the enactment of the Constitutional Amendment Bill, in addition to other security laws reviewed by the National Constitutional Amendment Committee.3 1. Cantonment 17. The cantonment, registration, screening, selection, training and redeployment of fighters with a view to forming the Necessary Unified Forces, a unified army of 83,000 soldiers (see annex I, map 1) are a cornerstone of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. Only limited progress was made during the period under review.4 By early November, 24 of the 25 cantonment sites designated for opposition forces were operational with registration ongoing, with all 10 barracks for the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) also undertaking registration.5 Furthermore, some 69,000 of the 83,000 Necessary Unified Forces had been registered in designated cantonment sites and barracks, although they were still waiting to be screened, selected, trained and redeployed. A critical factor in the success of the screening, selection and training process is proper financing. Given the Government’s failure to honour its pledge to make $100 million available to support the process and other security mechanisms, however, most garrison sites lacked access to adequate water, food or medical services, with deplorable living conditions. Concerns have also been raised at the proximity of these sites to civilians, in particular women and girls (see annex II, para. 49). 2. Administrative boundaries 18. In October 2015, President Kiir unilaterally declared the creation of 28 states in South Sudan to replace the original 10,6 and announced the creation of four additional states in January 2017, bringing the total number of states to 32. 7 The demarcation of 32 states by President Kiir exacerbated tensions concerning access to natural resources, as it effectively ensured the control of the President’s Dinka ethnic group over valuable resources, in particular oil. The President’s actions are perceived by many, including the Fertit and Luo (Western Bahr el Ghazal), Shilluk (Upper Nile) and Equatorians, as gerrymandering to promote Dinka interests. 19. The Independent Boundaries Commission began its work on 28 February 2019, supported by the African Union High-level Ad Hoc Committee for South Sudan, comprising Algeria, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa, its members having been appointed by the Executive Secretary of IGAD.8 The Independent Boundaries Commission considered the number of states and their boundaries, and the composition and restructuring of the Council 3 4 5 6 7 8 6 from https://jmecsouthsudan.org/index.php/reports/rjmec-quarterly-reports/155-rjmec-quarterlyreport-to-igad-on-the-status-of-implementation-of-the-r-arcss-from-1st-july-to-30th-september2019/file), p. ii. Ibid. Breakdown of the Necessary Unified Forces: Military (35 per cent) 29,050; National Security Service (10 per cent) 8,300; National Police (8 per cent) 6,640; State Police (26 per cent) 21,580; Wildlife Service (7 per cent) 5,810; Prisons Service (10 per cent) 8,300; and Fire Brigade Service (4 per cent) 3,320, totalling 83,000. The figures do not include the VIP Protection Unit, estimated to comprise 3,000 personnel. See the report on the status of implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan for the period 1st July to 30th September 2019, p. ii; See also the report on the status of implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan for the period 1st January to 31 March 2019 (available from www.jmecsouthsudan.com/index.php/reports/rjmec-quarterly-reports/133-rjmec-quarterly-report-toigad-on-the-status-of-implementation-of-the-r-arcss-from-1st-january-2019-to-31st-march-2019/file), p. iv. Establishment Order, No. 36/2015, 2 October 2015. Republican Order, No. 02/2017, 14 January 2017. Pursuant to article 1.15.1 of the Revitalized Agreement.