Michael Makuei Lueth, South Sudan’s Minister of Information, has sharply criticized reports of a looming genocide and restriction of humanitarian access to the war-affected areas in the country.
Eelier this week, United Nations human rights experts called for an international probe into abuses perpetrated in South Sudan, while reiterating warnings of ethnic cleansing in the world’s youngest nation.
Speaking to reports at a press conference in Juba on Thursday, Minister Makuei said there are no atrocities being committed in South Sudan. He claimed that the reports of ethnic cleansing and genocide are unsubstantiated and old.
“There is no looming genocide in South Sudan. Nevertheless, the media houses, the reporters and everybody are still repeating the same thing; it is a matter of cut and paste. And when you cut and paste it would appear as if it is a new report. Because there are others who have their own agendas and these agendas will never succeed in South Sudan,” said Makuei.
He pointed out that the reports are not credible because they do not mention where the atrocities are committed.
“There are those who are talking about atrocities being committed, human rights violations and so forth, but they don’t tell us where,” he said.
Separately, Makuei denied accusations that the government is restricting humanitarian access to different parts of the country.
“You find NGOs, humanitarian organizations talking about obstruction of their movement, they are not being obstructed, they are being regulated, and if you don’t want to be regulated then you are a no system person, because you must be regulated by the laws of our country,”Makuei said.
The government official accused some humanitarian organizations of engaging in activities outside their mandate.
Makuei stressed that the government will continue to monitor the work of the humanitarian agencies in the country as it is their duty to ensure they adhere to their objectives.
Photo: Minister of Information Michael Makuei speaks to reporters at a press conference in Juba on Thursday, March 9, 2017/Radio Tamazuj