Re: Urgent appeal to UN to allow relief food be taken to all affected areas in Amadi State and release all Kenyans illegally detained in Juba Prison
Pagak, August 14, 2017 (SSNA) — Representatives of Yeri and Mvolo counties in Amadi State, reported to my office today that, the relief food items purchased and transported by some traders of Yeri and Mvolo counties, have been off loaded in Mundri town upon orders of Amadi State governor Joseph Ngere, while people of Yeri and Mvolo counties are in urgent need of these relief items. I, therefore, call upon UN Agencies in Juba and Mundri to talk to Amadi State governor Joseph Ngere to allow this consignment of relief food to proceed immediately to help the suffering people of Yeri and Mvolo.
I also advise the Governor of Amadi State Joseph Ngere and the entire government of South Sudan not to use food as a weapon by denying relief food distribution to SPLA/M IO controlled areas in Amadi State and all other war affected areas of South Sudan as this is against International Humanitarian Law and the law of armed conflicts.
As I speak now, the whole population of Amadi State is seriously starving without food as Governor of Amadi State Joseph Ngere has stopped aid workers from taking relief supplies to areas controlled by SPLA/M IO, though we in SPLA/M IO have granted free movement to all humanitarian workers. As such, the innocent civilians, women, children and elderly persons are in urgent need of food, medicine, shelter, seeds, and tools.
I, therefore, appeal to UN to stop the governor of Amadi State from using food as a weapon and provide urgent relief food and medicine to the suffering population of Greater Mundri Counties/Amadi State. I also call upon the so called governor of Amadi State Joseph Ngere to resign as he has failed to render services to the people of his State. Instead, he is busy killing his own people by denying them food, medicine, and shelter.
In a related development, acknowledging the fact that Kenya has contributed greatly to the South Sudan struggle for independence and is currently hosting a big number of South Sudanese refugees, I would like to appeal to UN to put pressure on South Sudan government to immediately release all Kenyans who are currently being illegally detained in South Sudan Prison in Juba.
On the other hand, i would like to request Kenyan government as member of IGAD Heads of States to impose sanctions and arms embargo on South Sudan government, including travel bans on President Salva, his deputy, cabinet and army generals who are now committing genocide in South Sudan by killing, raping, displacing, arresting and illegally detaining its own citizens and citizens of other countries.
I also appeal to Kenyan government not to deport any South Sudanese from Kenya as being suggested by some Kenyans in the social media last week. Remember, there are many Kenyans working in all parts of South Sudan at the moment and South Sudan is now a member of East African Community. I encourage more Kenyan to come and work in South Sudan as we need services of each other for South Sudan to develop.
Therefore, I encourage both countries to promote love, regional unity, peace, cooperation and trade between our sisterly countries of Kenya and South Sudan instead of detaining each other’s citizens without trial for no good reasons, like what the government of South Sudan is doing to Kenyan citizens. I also appeal to the Kenyan government to release all South Sudanese citizens detained by them if any and keep them as refugees till peace is achieved in South Sudan.
Lt. General Wesley Welebe Samson
Deputy Chief of Staff for training, SPLA/M IO
Pagak, South Sudan
August 13, 2017
Email: [email protected]