Politicians and youth activists from President Salva Kiir’s home state are increasingly vocal in demanding the removal of Warrap Governor Nyandeng Malek on charges of corruption and incompetence and in seeking the containment of corruption within Kiir’s own office.
A wing of the ruling party in Warrap last month opposed the extension of Nyandeng’s term in office. Backed by youth protesters, they sought unsuccessfully to block the state parliament from passing a constitutional amendment giving her another three years in power.
Increasingly, political divisions among the sons of Warrap are also playing out in Juba. Two close associates of Kiir serving within the presidency, both from Warrap, have been suspended on corruption charges in part due to pressure from other officials from Warrap.
Yel Luol, the suspended Executive Director in the Office of the President, hails from Kiir’s own home area, Akon Payam in Gogrial West County. The suspended Chief Administrator Mayen Wol hails from Kuac South in the same county.
Prior to their suspension they fell out with Major General Gregory Vasili, the brother-in-law of Kiir also hailing from Warrap, over the issue of letters of credits and access to dollars from the central bank, a source said. Bol Wek, the official appointed to act as chief administrator in place of Yel, also hails from Warrap and previously served in Kiir’s military headquarters.
Both of the suspended officials from Warrap are now accused of involvement in a scandal that led to the loss of millions of dollars through alleged forgery of Kiir’s signature. However, the two officials have reportedly denied forging the president’s signature, suggesting that Kiir himself signed the controversial orders for release of funds that were subsequently ‘lost’.
A government source told Radio Tamazuj last week that the president has appointed a special committee headed by his new legal advisor Lawrence Korbandi to look into the allegations of corruption and forgery in his office. This committee is mandated to investigate illegal acquisition of lands in Juba in the name of the president, irregularities in award of contracts and the handling of money.
On 6 July a group of elders from Warrap met with Kiir reportedly seeking containment of the situation and citing growing impatience with the slow pace of investigations into the alleged financial scam. A source said that the president sought to reassure the elders in the meeting, pointing to the formation of the new investigative committee.
A delegation of elder politicians from Warrap met with Kiir again this Sunday, 12 July, headed by Bona Bhang Dhol, a prominent state politician hailing from Kiir’s home area of Akon Payam. According to one of the meeting participants, the meeting focused on how the government can achieve peace through negotiations rather than military means, food shortages in Warrap, unspecified “administrative issues,” and the tenure of the governor.
Warrap youths vs National Security personnel
In a related development, over the weekend a group youths from Warrap sought to open a criminal case against a National Security personnel at the Juba North Police Station for allegedly disrupting a civil society meeting, according to a youth leader in Juba. The youths were meeting in Juba to organize opposition to the current governor.
“Youth were holding a meeting yesterday (Sunday) which was approved by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to take place but one of the guys from the National Security without invitation showed up and asked why the meeting was being conducted without approval from the security, lucky enough there was a representative of the CID and he was told by the representative of the CID that the meeting was approved.”
The source added, “When that question of illegality of the meeting was answered, he then turned around and claimed to be a member of the national civil society alliance but he was told the meeting was for the members of the civil society of Warrap state. So he was not supposed to be in the meeting. He said if that was the case then he would participate in the meeting by the virtue of being citizen of Warrap state and nobody has the power and authority to question him.”
Warrap youths identified this National Security personnel as Ayuel Deng Ayuel, an in-law of Governor Nyandeng Malek.
“Realizing that the guy was not ready to leave the meeting area as he was so abusive and disruptive of the process, the youths decided to take him to the police station but instead he ended up calling for security who came and took him away and arrested one of the youth,” a youth leader said.
National Security personnel intervened on behalf of Ayuel, according to the source, arresting Machuar Mankaracnak Deng, a Warrap youth member who is now being detained in unknown location in Juba. He was arrested at Juba North Police Station where he had gone to make a criminal complaint against the National Security member for disrupting the youth meeting.
In a separate interview, Achol Chier Rehan, former parliamentary affairs minister in Warrap described the arrest of youths as unjustifiable. “This issue of arresting people unnecessarily should not be encouraged. There are institutions of the government. We have police, we have courts. Why not use them to sort out whatever issues which are raised in accordance with the laws of this country?
“The use of security is unjustifiable,” she said.
Two journalists who were covering the situation at the Warrap youth meeting were also harrassed and detained on Sunday, Catholic Radio Network reported. Citizen Television Station Manager Reech Malual and Juba Monitor correspondent Lagu Joseph Jackson said that they were detained for one hour at Juba North Police Station.
Catholic Radio reported that Lagu said they were arrested for no reason while they were covering the civil society event about Governor Nyandeng Malek’s tenure extension. “The two journalists say they were arrested amidst confusion as Warrap civil society members express divergent views on their political affairs, demanding them to cover one side against the other as opposed to journalistic ethics,” CRN reported.
File photo: President Salva Kiir with his wife Mary Ayen (left) and Governor Nyandeng Malek (right), 2010 (GOSS Presidential Press Unit/Thomas Kenneth Elisapana)