Student leaders welcome the appointment of investigation committee by President Kiir
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South Sudanese Students leaders in Nairobi, Kenya welcome the appointment of a committee to investigate the violence in the Malakal PoC
March 1, 2016 (SSB) — We verily applaud the President’s swift action of appointing the two investigation committees led by President Advisor Mr. Tut Gatluak and Justice Minister Mr. Paulino Wanawillia to investigates and identify the culprits who massacred innocent civilians at United Nation protection camp in Malakal city and in the town of Wau respectively.
The president’s stern action perhaps means the killing was masterminded and done without his CONSENT. However, we feel the president could have appointed men and women with known reform and human rights defend credentials; and not mere political advisors with little passion for justice. He should NOT appoint the committee members based on patronage or their loyalty to him but on merit. He was supposed to appoint the committees from among the civil societies groups and or within the judiciary.
We could only be assured of justice for the victims if those committees were headed by an impartial and none political players who have NOT been involved in the conduct of the ongoing war in our country. There are veteran and objective journalists who are candid and many other pro-human rights defenders who deserved to be entrusted with such critical duty if we really intend to bring those cowardice killers to book. .
Moreover, we also wondered why the president had NOT given the timeline for those committees to complete and submit their findings. Hence, we suggest that they must produce their comprehensive report within fortnight’s time unless otherwise, and that is why we insist for the appointment of competent people with good track records and individuals who believed that justice delay is justice denied.
As we embark on the investigation to identify those behind the Malakal killings, first and foremost, we must start compelling or apprehending the reckless politicians who have recently engaged in the war of words over the creation of 28 states. We have a reason to believe that those war mongers are directly or indirectly behind this gruesome massacre of our people in Malakal. Early this month, a group of legislators representing Upper Nile state constituencies led by minority leader Hon. Onyoti Adigo issued a warning statement at parliament building in Juba On 9th February, 2016 stating that the annexation of Malakal town to newly created Eastern Nile state could lead to further outbreak of conflict if the land dispute is left unaddressed or unless the president revoked the so-call 28 states
Couple of days later, on 11th February 26, 2016, Gen. Chol Thon Balok, the Governor of the newly created Eastern Nile where Malakal town has been curved or annexed to, came out gun-blazing by dressing-down the aforesaid parliamentarians in his counter-warning statement. He said, ‘‘those legislators should know that the current war is not yet over in greater Upper Nile region that a new war could be hatched. The war is going on even now in Upper Nile, there is no ceasefire and I cannot be threatened or deterred by the language of war they use’’
Based on such inflammatory statements, you could notice that those parliamentarians’ statement saying there would be an outbreak of war amount to an offence of incitement punishable under the ordinary statutes; and for Gen. Chol Thon to express such venomous utterances that the war is ongoing while the peace has been signed warrant the judgment that he is privy if not directly involved in the attack on civilian at UN based in Malakal. Therefore, should he deny any knowledge of the attack in Malakal as the person in-charge of the soldiers, than he must admit to have slept on duty which also amount to an offence of omission and incompetency; and if we live in democratic state bind by the rule of law, on the day the news breaks that civilians were massacred in Malakal, it could have been followed by the statement demanding Gen. Chol Thon to resign and face investigation from the word go
Yours faithfully
Dak Buoth, Chairman
Congress of South Sudanese Patriots
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