Foreign ministry official denies disowning Kiir’s statement

November 30, 2014 (JUBA) – A South Sudanese foreign ministry official on Saturday denied disowning President Salva Kiir statement criticising Hilde Johnson, formerly head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The president, in his speech, accused Johnson of allegedly playing a role in the escape of his former deputy-turned rebel leader, Riek Machar in December 2013.

But the country’s foreign affairs ministry undersecretary, Abdun Terkoc later on downplayed president Kiir’s statement, which he described as a “slip of the tongue”.

It appears Terkoc was trying to prevent diplomatic backlash over the president’s remarks.

On Saturday, however, the undersecretary denied making any statement contrary to the president’s saying he could not, as a senior diplomat, contradict the president.

“I am a senior diplomat and I cannot do that. I did not say that,” said Terkoc.

It remains unclear what prompted the ministry to distance itself from the remarks attributed to its undersecretary. However, another senior diplomat at the foreign ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that security personnel pressured the undersecretary to back away from the statement he had made about Kiir’s remarks.

“I understand that security personnel printed the news and took it to the undersecretary and asked him to explain why he disowned the remarks of the president, which he denied. But I think the intention was to defend the president and the government if you read the statements,” the official told Sudan Tribune.

Relations between the government and UNMISS have been increasingly strained. President Kiir earlier accused the UN body of over-stepping its mandate by acting like a “parallel government”.

(ST)