South Sudan presidency denies reports of looming genocide
December 19, 2016 (JUBA) – The South Sudanese presidency has dismissed reports of a looming genocide in the country, saying it was simply a strategy to justify calls for imposition of targeted sanctions and an arms embargo.
“The recently released Human Rights and UN agencies’ report of the so called looming genocide or ethnic cleansing in South Sudan is exceedingly utopian if not absolutely based on hypocrite ignorance of the real South Sudanese political situation,” Ateny told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday.
“The report is a mere recipe for arms embargo against the government or a ploy of creating a situation that is fertile for fundraising spree in order to allow foreign jobseekers to eye jobs in South Sudan. Otherwise, since when did lack of firearms resulted into prevention of Genocide if at all there was planning to kill innocent people in mass”, he added.
The presidential aide said in a statement that the Rwanda’s Genocide was committed through the use of weapons other than firearms. He said the truth of the matter is that the looming genocide may be another George Clooney-JohnPendegrast-project.
“Which tribe does the government want to eliminate in order to get what? Are the tribes in South Sudan created after the creation of human rights organizations or the UN itself? Otherwise, the report itself is a cause of anguish amongst South Sudanese. The world should know that South Sudan is not Rwanda or Kosovo. Even, if we differ politically, we don’t get to the point of eliminating our entire tribes”, he stressed.
He downplayed likelihood of the occurrence of the genocide, claiming majority of the armed opposition forces (SPLM-IO) soldiers are disengaged from active combat against government forces because president Kiir and his controversially appointed first vice president, Taban Deng Gai, are allegedly well committed to implementing the peace Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan nevertheless.
“t might be true and witnessed in many cases that Dinka are being targeted by cowards masquerading as revolutionaries in Equatoria, but President Salva Kiir’s administration will never allow Dinka to avenge the killings of their loved ones. If that is the case the Dinka are having no plan to avenge”, he added
“Since there is no plan from the Dinka to avenge, where does the fear of the looming genocide emanate from? My advice in this is that, jobseekers or fundraisers are to blame in creating such utopian situation in an attempt to be believed”, he claimed.
While addressing a press conference in Juba last month, the U.N. special adviser on prevention of genocide Adama Dieng warned that South Sudan violence risks spiralling into genocide.
“Throughout the week, conversations with all actors have confirmed that what began as a political conflict has transformed into what could become an outright ethnic war,” he said at the end of one week visit to South Sudan.
(ST)