Sept 16, 2016(Nyamilepedia) —– South Sudan’s former Chief of Staff, Gen. James Gathoth Mai, has emerged alongside General Salva Kiir Mayardit and General Paul Malong Awan as one of the richest South Sudanese who own property worth millions abroad.
According to Sentry Reports, Hoth Mai has purchased a $1.5 million dollar retirement home in a rich suburb of Australian’s Melbourne City.
This luxurious home contains a modern infinity swimming pool with sauna, 4 large bedrooms, a top-of-the-roof kitchen, bathrooms and elegant backyards.
According to Sentry, a BMW 316i was found resting in front of the house.
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Gat-hoth is believed to be living a heaven-on-earth lifestyle here in Melbourne while majority of his Naath tribesmen are either killed by the army he commanded, castrated, raped or forced to live in refugee camps by President Kiir’s militias.
Gen. Hoth is one of the richest Nuer politicians, who have managed to amass a lot of wealth in the Dinka dominated government of Salva Kiir.
The investigative report puts Kiir and Malong families, alongside three other generals, all dinka by nationality, above the ring of corruption in South Sudan.
Unlike Gen. Hoth Mai, these other generals: Salva Kiir Mayardit, his brother in-law Maj. Gen Gregory Vasili Dimitry, Gen. Paul Malong Awan, Gen. Gabriel Jok Riak, Gen. Malek Reuben and others have purchased lucrative homes in East Africa.
The Sentry has also investigated the former Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar and his family, however, unlike his counterparts who own millions worth of property abroad and in South Sudan, Machar only rents houses, some of which are reportedly rented by IGAD or foreign friends.
Machar is also implicated in deals that involved Russians and Kenyan businessmen but none of the deal has materialized or found to be active as per Sentry investigation.
The former Vice President, Machar, is the only senior politician who publicly declared his assets when politicians in South Sudan were urged to declare assets by the high court in 2012 following allegations that 75 politicians stolen more than 4 billions US dollar.
Rich or Corrupt
Before the signing of the comprehensive peace agreement in 2005, more than 90% of SPLM/A politicians and military generals were poor that they could not afford to rent in the poor suburbs of Nairobi, Kampala and Addis Ababa.
With exception of Dr. John Garang de Mabior and Dr. Riek Machar’s families, which rented modern houses in Lavington and Kileleshwa, only a few politicians and generals at the time managed to rent tiny two to three bedrooms for their large families in the poor suburbs of Zimmerman, Kawangware and Satellite in Nairobi, Kenya.
Others lived in small towns or in the refugee camps in Kenya and Uganda until recently.
Today, less than 10 years later, these politicians and many other newly emerged millionaires, mostly relatives and families of the former rebel leaders, have now bought expensive properties outside the country. Majority of these homes are found in East Africa, South Africa, Australia, Canada, United States and other countries that accepted these families as refugees.
While the generals and politicians are busy displacing poor South Sudanese to refugee’s camps, their families are living luxurious lifestyles and their children attend some of the most expensive privates schools around the world.
Gen. Hoth’s 23-year old son, for example, has been studying in China until when the war broke out in December 2013.
While his son studies in China, the then Chief of staff, Gen. Hoth, was also pursuing his masters’ degree in South Africa and only returned to Juba a few hours before the war broke out on December 15, 2013.
Gen. Hoth has been a long-term friend of President Salva Kiir, which granted him lucrative positions in Kiir’s government until he was replaced with Gen. Paul Malong Awan in April 2014 following allegations of conflict of interests as he was seen reluctant to fight his Nuer-dominated rebellion led by Dr. Machar, the former Vice President.
Although the politicians are yet to explain how they acquired millions of wealth from their relatively small salaries in just a few years, none is willing to resign his position or to stop the war.
South Sudan’s ongoing conflict started in December 2013. Many attempts including a compromised peace agreement and permanent ceasefire agreements signed last year have failed to restore peace and unity.
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1 comment
The worse part of this war is, people are killing themselves and the Mafia Gang group are busy looting the country resources, what shame it is for those who defending the criminals?