South Sudan’s government on Friday dismissed as unfounded allegations that it is obstructing humanitarian assistance, responding to the United States’ suspension of aid to a key region.
The U.S., a major aid donor to South Sudan, on Thursday suspended assistance to Ayod County in Jonglei State. It cited repeated interference, exploitation and theft by South Sudanese officials targeting American aid programs. The U.S. Embassy in Juba said it is also reviewing aid in Western Bahr el Ghazal State and considering significant reductions.
The actions, the embassy said, follow a Jan. 2 incident in which the commissioner of Ayod County detained an aid worker who refused an illegal demand to surrender assets from a U.S. assistance partner. Since November, the Western Bahr el Ghazal state minister of health has blocked the transfer of pharmaceutical supplies between two U.S. aid partners, ignoring requests to release them.
Addressing journalists at a monthly media briefing in Juba, Ambassador Thomas Kenneth Elisapana, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the U.S. claims are unsubstantiated.
“Our preliminary position is this: The claim about senior government officials being involved in obstructing humanitarian activities is unsubstantiated. Therefore, unfounded,” Kenneth said.
He stated that the South Sudanese government had not received official communication from the U.S. Embassy about the allegations.
“Regarding the statement issued by the U.S. Embassy… we have not officially received communication on that. It is just shared on social media. We have not yet received official communication through a diplomatic channel,” said Kenneth.
He added that the government facilitates humanitarian access through the concerned authorities and, as a sovereign country, rejects the decisions of the U.S. government.
Responding to other questions by journalists, Kenneth said issues regarding unpaid salary arrears for diplomats are a matter for the Minister of Finance.
He said the media would be informed of the arrival details of a scheduled African Union delegation to Juba. On questions about details of a Tripartite Agreement involving Sudan’s warring parties, he directed journalists to the ministry’s Facebook page for details on the Foreign Affairs Minister’s recent visit to Port Sudan.