South Sudan’s Minister of General Education Awut Deng Achuil has once again vowed to take legal steps against suspected individuals who sent her a life-threatening letter.
Speaking to reporters in Juba on Friday, Minister Awut said the letter is believed to have been authored by individuals from the Luanjang Community of Tonj East County in Warrap State.
According to Minister Awut, the authors of the letter copied it to various security institutions in the country including the Office of the President.
She called on security apparatus to thoroughly investigate the threats against her life and that of her family members.
“I hereby, make it clear that any life threats; whether written or verbal is a criminal offence. I therefore urge the security sectors to take note of this threat with all seriousness it deserves,” she said.
Feuds between Minister Achuil and the Luanjang Community members comes after the South Sudan Examination Council cancelled P8 exam results in eight locations across the country, including Romic (an area in Luanjang) due to insecurity in 2021.
In February 2021, youths from Luanjang Community represented by Marcelo Deng Magon, then the interim youth chairperson, wrote a letter to President Salva Kiir Mayardit, accusing Minister Awut of intentionally barring primary eight pupils from areas of Tonj East County from sitting the Primary Leaving Examinations under the pretext of insecurity.
In response to this letter, the General Education Minister then filed a lawsuit against Machiek Dongrin, Marcelo Deng Magon, the Interim Chairman of Luangjang Youth Union, and Tinjok Ruben Dhal, a medical student from Bahr el Ghazal University in February 2022 at a court in Juba.
Addressing journalists on Friday, Minister Awut Deng Achuil, said she received yet another life-threatening targeting her and her relatives.
According to Minister Awut, the authors of the letter accuse her of intentionally failing their children.
“Awut intentionally derailed the progress of our primary kids, and we took it low because we knew that Awut was our women representative and part of us as Tonj East MP, but since her evil activities are escalating day by day. She has to be mindful of the heavy price that’s coming,” the letter read in part.
The authors of the letter further vowed to either ‘put minister Awut in Court or Grave’.
“Awut Deng Achuil, this examination case will either put you in jail or grave! Simple. We are about to close this chapter. People really still don’t know how unknown gunman emerged. It’s now at your doorstep Nyarial Angeth,” it added.
She said her enemies should not resort to life threats since the Ministry of Education already conducted the examinations in Luanjang, shortly after security clearance.
“After security clearance, the government gave alternative examination papers to the affected centres. Thus, all the candidates sat their exams and had their results, which promoted them to secondary schools,” Awut stated.
“Now, where is the point of contention here that warrants the relentless insults on my personality and threats to my life? Any insult on my personality, not the institution, must be met with personal lawsuit. And that is exactly what I’m doing with the individuals that insulted me,” she vowed.
The minister however said her pursuit for justice has nothing to do with the whole community of Luanjang but only the individuals who authored the said letter.