The South Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday summoned the Sudanese Ambassador, Isam Mohamed Hassan, to explain the circumstances in Wad Madani of El Jazirah State following the takeover from the Rapid Support Forces.
Addressing journalists after the summon, the Undersecretary in the South Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, John Samuel Bwogo, said they received a report from the embassy in Port Sudan that detailed some of atrocities and actions that led to the loss of lives of some South Sudanese in Wad Madani and the surrounding areas.
He said the Foreign ministry raised concerns and that they should be given an opportunity to visit the town to provide consular services and fact-finding.
“We don’t have at the moment our embassy members in Madani, but we requested that we be given consular service so that we can visit the people in Gezira to get into contact with the South Sudanese there, so that we can get the facts,” Bwogo told journalists in Juba.
He called on the South Sudanese to remain calm, as they have advised the Sudanese authorities to investigate what happened, in not only Wad Madani, but also all other areas that have been liberated by the Sudanese Army.
“We also appealed to our people in Sudan to avoid any unnecessary movement. Let them only move when necessary, until we have the chance to communicate directly with them,” Bwogo said.
Hassan said he had been in contact with the authorities in Sudan, including the forces on the ground, to ascertain what happened.
“A committee was formed to investigate these crimes, and to arrest those who committed them against the brothers in South Sudan, or even against the Sudanese in general,” he said.
Hassan assured that the government of Sudan does not support crimes against humanity, noting that it respects the international human rights law, and all the Geneva agreements that concern war.