Was Agou John Wuoi Framed to Obstruct Justice for a Personal Gain?
By Deng Kur Deng, Pennsylvania, USA
January 8, 2018 (SSB) — Each of us feels validated and valued as individuals when we are surrounded by family and friends. Contrary to that is a changing dynamic of the family which can affect the nuclei of what holds it together, especially when those we value no longer share tables and social events with us. When John Agou was arrested, many thought it was a group who was being investigated for what took place in their place of employment.
Unfortunately, something much broader and complex occurred. Oddly, what it turned into over the last couple months left us shocked and curious to find answers to the reasons why. We thought that, perhaps, the President was dealing with many unmanageable situations at the time and simply forgot to accommodate at that very moment. We were convinced he would revisit concerns that were left unattended. We waited while Agou continued to experience and endure the conditions of prison. It wasn’t long before we, the family of Agou John, started to believe that he had been framed. If not, why did the President’s pardon exclude him?
First, I am a supporter of the President. However, I am a desperate citizen solely longing for peace in South Sudan. To be exact, when I met Agou after 16 years in New York, where he attended a training course, he talked highly about the President’s intentions to improve the lives of the South Sudanese. He avoided talking about many things, which is known to be the nature of Agou. I stopped asking questions, and instead, focused more on asking how willing is the President to restore peace in the country.
His allegiance to His Excellency was very strong. He believes the President loves South Sudan and that his patriotism will bring our people together, so whatever was going on will, eventually, be thwarted. It was a great assurance to me that he trusts the President. Agou was right because the President and many liberators brought us this country and they will do everything in their power to maintain it.
These reflections from Agou gave me hope. However, I am not a rebel and I have no reason to associate myself with those who are against what we collectively fought for. I am aware that many things are not going well in the country. In fact, people are confused and distressed by the ongoing chaos—something for which you wouldn’t blame peace seekers. I am for the President more than those who are pretending to support him.
I have spoken and written on behalf of our beloved country here in the U.S., so I have no ill intentions toward the country nor the President, so don’t call my position anything other than a desire for peace. I wrote personally to authorities here in the U.S.A., I was asked of whom do Lost Boys support between the two men—Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit and Riek. I told them we Lost Boys resonate more with Salva Kiir because of his consistency during our struggle, even now.
To get back to my original message and reason for writing. Recently, President General Salva Kiir Mayardit has pardoned many of the accused individuals, supposedly out of mercy. However, some have wondered why cannot the same mercy play out to my younger brother, John Agou? Now, if you reflect on the President’s decision to release almost everyone except John Agou, someone in my capacity is left to wonder what are the President’s intentions toward John Agou? The President is known for his kindheartedness. You have just witnessed this with the release of many involved in the crime against the government of South Sudan—including foreigners.
Most importantly, I would like to acknowledge the President’s action for releasing John Agou’s wife who was illegally arrested and extradited without the proper procedures of the legal system. With such a lack of legal mechanisms in place, law is compromised more than not. It is disturbing to view our constitution in these unthinkable practices, but these are the harsh realities of unlawfulness in the country. Luckily, the duties of the President are interwoven with law.
Therefore, it is his duty at this stage to look through the case of John with a similar lens in which he pardoned the other men—men older than Agou who had been jailed since 2015. My appeal is to the President to reevaluate the case of John Agou as he did for those who were recently released. Today, South Sudan is overwhelmed by various issues including an already deteriorating economy and insecurity noticeably interfering with financial capability. This, in and of itself, is a serious concern.
On the same note, the President gave the impression that there are other depressing issues needing to be addressed in the country, and this is a message of forgiveness. Sadly, however, to ostracize Agou in a prison without giving details to family members, while those who were equally accountable for the crime were released remains a very upsetting matter and is quite complex to process.
These are the reasons I am appealing to the President to equally take into consideration the same forgiveness he has exhibited in recent months. John Agou has a future and a family to raise—something our President should understand. We are asking the President to give him a chance—grant him the same chance His Excellency expressed and acted on for 14 others.
As family members of John Agou, we were overwhelmed when the President released everyone, leaving him behind bars with no explanation. Some of us couldn’t process this, except to wonder whether Agou was purposely framed by those who have an inside track. Unfortunately, I kept wondering who could have framed Agou. If he wasn’t framed, then why are others who committed the same crime released?
Too many questions continue to bother me, but I will have to leave it there and let the President decide what is best for Agou, his wife, and their son. We know he deserves a second chance, which is what the President did—he gave a second chance to other accused persons. We are seeking the same for John Agou.
This article was written by Deng Kur Deng AKA Raanmangar. You can reach him at pananyangajak@gmail.com
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