South Sudanese president orders dismissal of Luka Biong from Juba University

October 21, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudanese president Salva Kiir has given orders to the administration of Juba University to dismiss Luka Biong Deng from his lecturing post at the higher education institution in reaction to a forum that challenged his recent decree to create 28 states as unconstitutional.

Although the order did not publicly explain what prompted the president to order the expulsion of his former close ally, several sources with knowledge of the recent fall out on Wednesday told Sudan Tribune that the action was prompted by the outcome of the recent public lecture at the Juba University which Deng organized to discuss the unilateral order by president Kiir to create 28 states.

Colleagues and lecturers at the university attributed the cause to public lecture organised by Deng’s Centre for Peace and Development Studies at the university attended by several prominent figures, including the leader of main political opposition party, Lam Akol, head of Jieng [Dinka] Council of Elders (JCE), Ambrose Riing Thiik and presidential advisor for legal affairs, Lawrence Korbandy, who attended as the chief guest of the event.

The debate was organised to seek public opinions on constitutionality and legality of the republican order number 36, issued by president Kiir on October 2, expanding the current 10 states to 28 despite the recently signed peace agreement with the opposition faction of SPLM-IO on the basis of the existing 10 states.

Several participants at the university public lecture expressed views rejecting unilateral creation of more administrative units, prompting Ambrose Riing Thiik, head of Dinka Council of Elders to walk out from the debate and rushed to president Kiir to request dismissal of Deng from the university and his expulsion from the country.

Thiik who was the first Chief Justice of the southern Sudan’s Supreme Court from 2005 was reportedly cornered by the country’s main opposition leader, Lam Akol, at the public lecture on the unconstitutionality of the presidential order, prompting the chairman of the Dinka Council of Elders, who served as ‘think-tank’ for president Kiir, to walk out in protest.

Sources claimed the president in response called the vice-chancellor of Juba University and instructed immediate dismissal of Deng teaching position for organizing the public lecture, seen as weakening the position of the president.

Until his dismissal and expulsion from the center, Deng was the Director of Centre for Peace and Development Studies and head of Kush Institute, a non-profit organisation promoting peace, stability and development, with a particular focus on South Sudan and Abyei area.

Deng is also a Global Fellow at Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Associate Fellow at Carter Centre for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and a fellow at Rift Valley Institute.

He is a recognised expert on the affairs of Sudan, South Sudan in areas of poverty, vulnerability, famine, civil wars, constitution-making, and state-building.

He served for five years as a minister of presidential affairs of South Sudan and as national minister of cabinet affairs of the Sudan until May 2011 when he resigned in protest as the Sudanese army took over his native home area of Abyei.

(ST)