South Sudan president forms airport security committee

November 18, 2017 (JUBA) – South Sudan President, Salva Kiir has established a high-level committee that has been tasked to review the way security at Juba International Airport is being managed.

The president, according to a decree announced on the state-owned television (SSBC) on Friday, appointed Isaac Obuto Mamur, the national security minister as the overall head of the committee.

Also on the committee are, the army chief of general staff, General James Ajonga Mawut, Juba town mayor, Stephen Wani, the minister of interior as well as representatives from the foreign affairs ministry.

The security management committee has been tasked to gather information, oversee the security process at Juba airport, review the security at the airport and align it to the international best practices.

It remains unclear why the South Sudanese leader issued the order.

But multiples sources have linked the president’s directive to a recent incident in which a soldier reportedly slapped a commander of the United Nations peacekeeping force, who sought to deploy UN troops around the airport in compliance with the mandate of the regional protection forces as approved by the Security Council.

Following the bizarre incident, however, the Juba government said it was carrying out an investigation, but the public is yet to know its findings.

(ST)