S. Sudanese security block governor from leaving Juba airport
August 15, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudanese security operatives on Saturday blocked the Western Equatoria state governor from leaving the capital, Juba until further notice.
Several state and national level officials told Sudan Tribune during series of interviews following the incident that the decision may have been politically motivated. Others claimed it could be related to the recent statement in which governor Bakosoro and his administration welcomed not only demilitarisation and redeployment of the government forces outside Juba, but also members of the national security forces.
The reason for supporting such a provision of the compromise peace agreement proposed by the intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), according to the statement issued by the government, was to avoid civilians from becoming victims of differences between military personnel as happened in 2013.
His critics appeared to have misconstrued the rationality of the statement and interpreted it to mean a position supporting what they claimed to be a foreign proposal undermining sovereignty of an independent state.
His supporters however, say the statement did not call for deployment of foreign forces to provide protection and security but rather strengthen capacity of the police force.
A senior government official told Sudan Tribune Saturday that statements attributed Bakosoro “appear to have angered the president and his political allies from Western Equatoria state and was supposed to be removed from office effective from last week”.
The official further claimed that recent leadership consultations meeting on the IGAD proposal in which all the ten state governors, including Bakosoro himself, were invited to Juba by president Kiir may have been the cause of the delay of the presidential decision to either allow him return to the state or remove him from his position.
Speaking to Sudan Tribune when contacted on Saturday, Western Equatoria state information minister, Charles Barnaba Kisanga said government security operatives asked the governor to “disembark off commercial plane destined to the state”.
“It is true the governor did not return to the state as planned. He is now in Juba. He was prevented from traveling to Yambio and he is now at his hotel in Juba,” he said.
Kisanga stressed that he was unaware of motives behind the actions taken by security officials, but disclosed that some groups politicians from Western Equatoria state in Juba whom he did not name were lobbying for the governor’s removal from office.
(ST)