Boma governor says SPLA not involved in looting MSF supplies
March 5, 2016 (BOR) – The governor of Boma state, Baba Medan Konyi, has dismissed as false reports that the the South Sudanese army (SPLA), in last month’s looting of health facilities, run by Medicins San Frontiers (MSF), markets and civilian houses in Pibor.
“The group against the government looted the market the night of day 22nd because they were planning to fighting the government the next day, 23rd . They are the ones who looted MSF compound and the civilians houses on 23rd”, Medan said on Saturday.
“The citizens are not rejecting me, it is the group of the cobra, it is the people of the group of Yauyau who [are] rejecting me. They are the ones making agitation in Pibor headquarters”, he added.
The newly-apppointed governor had been summoned by president Salva Kiir to explain the cause of the fighting in the area. Also at the meeting was the former Pibor administrator, David Yauyau.
“I briefed the president on what caused the fighting in the area. I told him the the fighting was caused by those of Yauyau. And Yauyau was in the meeting, he could not defend that” said Medan.
Some members of cobra generals are now eyeing for bigger positions in the new government as they push for Yauyau to be reinstated as the governor.
“When I formed my government, I appointed Khalid Botrous, because he requested me to be the minister. But I appointed him, he said, no, I want to be the deputy minister”, said Medan, adding that the president will never appoint Yauyau as the governor.
“We appointed three ministers from Cobra, one advisor and one commissioner, they have five positions”, he said.
Yauyau, announced some months back, that he and his members had fully joined South Sudan ruling party. But Medan doubted why the they still works for the downfall of the party when they are members of the same party and government.
“Cobra is no longer cobra, they are SPLM. And if you are SPLM, you are you giving conditions to the same party of yours, its means they still have another agenda. If they are SPLM, they are supposed to respect the degree of the president”, said governor.
“They are the ones who planned to attack the government, they are the ones who wants Yauyau to come back as the governor, this will not happened. Yauyau was chief administrator of greater Pibor, and he is now a general in the army. He cannot work against the government when he is inside the same government”, he continued.
Medan said civilians had stated returning to town after he conducted a security meeting in Pibor before leaving for Juba. He ordered his supporters to clean the rubbles to allow civilians to resettle.
(ST)