E. Equatoria governor, interior minister testify before SSLA on insecurity
By Isaac Vuni
February 11, 2009 (JUBA) – The Governor of Eastern Equatoria, Alosio Emor Ojetuk, and the Minister of Interior, Paul Mayom Akech, testified before the South Sudan Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. Akech stressed that the ranks of police forces are filled with largely illiterate former SPLA soldiers.
Appearing before the Assembly as part of a series of summons on widespread insecurity, Minister Akech said that he has no option other than accepting SPLA soldiers into police services and cautioned that only in South Sudan are illiterate men deployed as police in the states. However, each state retains 3000 former SPLA combatant to fill national police roles.
He also noted that identification has remained a major problem with soldiers as their units are never serious in keeping updated records.
Lawmakers commended the summoned governor and minister for finally appearing before them.
Lying behind some of the recent furor was a deadly incident of celebratory gunfire in Juba on December 31, lasting for 40 minutes from a barracks near residential areas.
Akech noted that continued SPLA present in residential areas poses security treats and therefore they should be deployed far outside Juba city. Moreover, there are mobilized forces in possession of arms who yet mingle with civilians, while even soldiers on leave carry their guns.
Governor Ojetuk took note of cattle raiding, which has forced some state citizens to migrate to Ethiopia and Uganda in search of water and pasture, where they are causing insecurity. Ojetuk disclosed that he had been to Ethiopia to solve insecurity problems caused by southerners, and also to Uganda.
Moreover he cited farmland disputes at Ibasure verses Lohutok, Lohobochob versus Logonowati, and Mura versus Lopit, which resulted in serious incidents that his government is trying to resolve amicably.
According to the governor’s testimony, cattle pastoralists from Dinka arrived in Moliandru payam on December 12 last year and spread to Kerepi, Pageri and Agoro, destroying crops while protecting themselves with heavy weapons to silence opposition. The situation is reported to be very alarming among recent returnees from refugee life.
The governor cited incidents in Pageri and Ikwa Boma where Ugandan army forces (UPDF) killed a person and blamed it on LRA guerillas while identification found implicated UPDF. Again at Ikwa, another person was killed by the same UPDF who had beaten the people then looted their properties, he said.
Wondering why GOSS is keeping UPDF in South Sudan since they have become destructive to the hard-won CPA , the governor posed that SPLA could be capable to keep security and order for South Sudanese.
Regarding the presence of UPDF in South Sudan, Ojetuk said they came to Sudan before SPLM took over administration of the South from the Khartoum government, and therefore are responsible for LRA presence in South Sudan.
Responding to lawmakers’ request, the governor said insecurity in Magwi county in Eastern Equatoria has become a matter of concern to all including lawmakers.
ALLEGEDLY SLAIN SPLA FOUND ALIVE IN YEI
The governor discussed the bad relations between host communities and residents who had come to Equatoria after being displaced in other parts of Sudan. ‘Indigenous’ residents, many of whom had been themselves forced to flee to Uganda during the civil war, allege that the newcomers grabbed land especially in Nimule.
Ojetuk recounted that SPLA Major General Wilson sold a piece of Madi land in Nimule to a Somali business in order to erect a petrol station and when elders enquired, Wilson ordered soldiers to brutalize and silence them to the extent that one person was killed. Later, SPLA soldiers alleged that they had been only responding to the Madi, who first killed two of their soldiers. But the allegedly slain soldiers were found alive in Yei, the governor testified.
The story fit with a broader point raised by the governor, that insecurity is orchestrated by the government. He noted, for instance, that military police deployed at border towns have gone beyond their mandate of securing safe passage for President Kiir’s visits to Nimule and Kapoeta and have taken over work of local police, including practicing corruption.
In another instance, 1500 disabled and wounded war veterans had not been paid their salaries, hence they demonstrated and closed the Nimule border entry for three days as they moved with guns threatening to kill innocent people, the governor said.
Equally, taxes at border towns are illegally collected by one particular community of Dinka which have 11 tables. Allegedly they are sent by senior government officials in Juba and they always threatened to kill state officials entrusted to legally collect taxes, said Ojetuk.
The governor further noted that there is a parallel administration particularly in Nimule where the IDPs created their own courts and do not respect any system of the state.
Ojetuk recommended to the Assembly that security matters should not be left solely to people in uniform but are the collective responsibility of all citizens including the executive and legislature.
HEATED DEBATE
Debate followed the governor’s testimony and presentation of recommendations to the Assembly.
Hon. Elija Lasu Peter said displacement of people during the 21 years of liberation struggle created insecurity particularly between pastoralists and crops growers as animals destroyed crops and the Dinka pastoralists threatened to kill landholders who raised questions. He also noted that SPLA soldier are only paid 350 Sudanese pounds, which is not sufficient upkeep for their families compared to the current high cost of living.
Hon. Eider Lino Wande referred to murder suspects in Yambio who have yet not been tried.
Hon Mabior Leek Deng said South Sudan’s police force has no capacity, causing SPLA to be used as a law enforcement agency, which he accused of looting 12,000 head of cattle from civilians.
Hon. Victoria Adhar Arop noted that when they were in the bush, security was very tight and some solders even were sent to the firing squad for grabbing two pieces of bananas from civilians. She wondered why GoSS does not punish corrupt powerful individuals now when the South enjoys peace.
Hon. David Raw Dok noted that local government was not involved in management of security at state levels.
Hon. Daniel Monydit complained that for nearly three years, various legislators raised urgent matters but got negative responses. Citing disappearance of funds, he warned that legislators are tired of seeing the same limping police in states without further recruitment and training of new ones.
The Assembly opened only with seventy eight legislators present, hence an allowance of 25 minutes was given by Hon. Speaker James Wani Igga for scoring the needed attendance for debate; later the quorum was exceeded, with 105 legislators present.
(ST)
Dongway Doorich
E. Equatoria governor, interior minister testify before SSLA on insecurity
oh God
save south Sudan .let there be security even with less involvement of unskilled police as they mention. our leaders will talk of something that they definitely know but always fail to provide solution in advance , what a hell are they doing ?
also iam seeing that our current leaders are lacking self criticism instead they will start blaming others of not doing well.if that spirit continue, then we will get our selves one time in coma and that will be beginning of another danger which may not be encounter soon in unity as it was done in during the last 22 years with commitment.
i wonder why the minister of police and security is not taking measures on this burning issues to at least reduce this danger of insecurity?
another point is naked complaint given by our leaders pointing out the names of some tribes as the cause of insecurity in the southern Sudan main town,
to me i think those complaints should be taken as the crime committed by that particular tribe in general but should be treated as the individual problem. these types of unclassified complaints will one increase insecurity instead because of the inbuilt anger or fatigue that may have emerge in some extremes of that tribe and raise it as an issue of depending the defaming name of their tribe .
responsible people in government should learn how to speak logical constitutional languages instead of this bad and naked complaint against the tribes in which they are ruling.
they should learn how to convey a message of the same meaning but in different ways.
another thing is the incapability of the employees as mentioned by the H.E governor of eastern equatoria state .
my message to H;e mr governor is that , there are some reality we should admitted instead of complaint ,
technical personal does not require tribalism . it depend on qualification and on who is capable to do the job. e.g medical officer ,Engineers . economist ,army etc,
all these do not need tribal representation because it is based on how and qualification they have to do the work.
Mr governor ,i think you will agree with me that even in the army tribal representation is not recommended because you were a commander in the bush and those you commanding may be having two or five sons of the mother but were protection your safety. so i don’t see any reason of complaining against technical people who are doing the work in border provided that they were employ with qualifications.
Mr governor i think you are a big man in south Sudan and you know how many tribes are there in south Sudan , can we manage really to represent all these tribe in each and very position in our institution even without qualified personnels?.i don’t think that it will be true unless we want to destroy the system.
we should restrict our complaints in political posts otherwise u will people in government will face problem of qualified personnels to work for you. they will all run away and can work anywhere.also to me if i will not be mistaken ,person in the govern should not complaint nakedly without institutional language because he/she will be inviting enemy and hatred to his/her party and the opposition parties will make use of your weakness and throw you like any thing in election.
H;E minister of police should start developing a spirit of self criticism before being blame otherwise if he is seeing that his fellow comm rads are not helping , then he should immediately resign instead of taking the responsibility of blood shading always in the entire south Sudan
.
may God bless all of you.
postmortem
E. Equatoria governor, interior minister testify before SSLA on insecurity
How long are we going to plead to God over issues that we can prevent than to thank Him for the peace he brought to us? When I see people dying because of animals, preventable diseases and hunger, I see the people of Southern Sudan headed for a disaster.
Does SSLA have an annual work plan indicating priorities and the means of achieving the results? If yes, what are they doing since peace dawn?
SSLA should regulate movement of animals by first disarming cattle keeper. Enact legislation that deals with lawful carriage of any gun and what should be done to those who unlawfully carry them.
If China has regulated human birth why not regulate also the population of animals that create for us more conflicts in the South and cry fold of the loss of 2 million people during the war yet we continue to allow more to die because of animals.
Intensify workshops to the four classess of forces mentioned ante that they have distinct roles alsthough at some point there is an overlap when need arises. However, they should be told that no other is superior than the other. The army tend to think that they are superior than the other three that is why it is not surprising for a soldier to bring a civilian to a police station and directs that such a person should be kept indefinately in the police cell until he comes back. Neither does it cause me sleepless night when I see a soldier directing the flow of traffic in the city.
All forces be they SPLA, Police, Wild life and Prisons, must first know their Terms of Reference (TOR).
The second requirement is that provision of Codes of Conduct to regulate their behaviour. Make it simple and distribute to those who can read. For those who cannot read, teach them to cram like the Lord’s TEN COMMANDMENTS on the stone Tablet.
Create Effective Disciplinary Tribunals with power to suspend indisciplined individuals from duty or other appropriate punishments such as demotions from ranks, dismissal for gross misconduct and others.
Reward those who perform to create competition, confidence building and doing the right thing.
For Officers, teach them admistrative Law to help them deal with administrative issues, their powers, jurisdiction and procedural matters. This course is relevant to any Officer in charge of whatever office.
Create special task forces to respond to particular areas of concern. For example, within the Police, there should be Scene of crime officers who deal with situations where a crime is alledged to have been committed. Not all police officers know how to handle scenes of crime because many of them tamper with evidence at the site.
Salaries of the forces must reflect the cost of living in the country. The issue of their budget being high because they are many doesnot suffice. Create reserve forces for those who are working in government Civil positions, NGO,s to prevent double salaries. Empower the courts so that they can be competent, and effectively delivering. It is unfortunate that Parliament keeps on summoning and hearing accounts from governors, commissioners etc. Next time call for the victims to testify so that Parliament can assess the magnitude of insecurity in the South.
It must however, be noted that these are post-conflict problems and some needs brains to address unlike shooting at the direction of the enemy. If there is a will to fight these evils, South Sudan will mitigate these problems although it may not eradicate them. We need to be visionary and humane for us to fight all these evils in our society.
Justin Chicago opiny
E. Equatoria governor, interior minister testify before SSLA on insecurity
Governor Alosio Ojetuk, It is you to blame for the havoc that is taking place in EES.Use your muscle as a Governor
to get things right.You are there in that office to make changes. You do not wait for instructions from Juba or Khartoum you already have that power use it to the maximum.
As for Minister Paul Mayom the Police Force is the yolk of the
Government Instituition.You can not recruit an illiterate person to become a police Officer in the 21st century,people we are moving with time. Put the right people in the right place at the right time. Here is the short form for the word POLICE:
POLITE
OBEDIENT
LEARNED
INTELIGENT
CARING
EDUCATED
People with the above quality are the right people to be recruited in the Police Force. There are a lot of places where those who are not learned can be placed. This is the time and now.