December 28, 2019(Nyamilepedia) — Speaking during his recent tour around the national capital, Juba, president Salva Kiir called on the inmates to cooperate with the guards and also among themselves in order to be released on January 1st, 2020.
President Salva Kiir visited the inmates and staff of the National Prison Service of South Sudan on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2019.
According to the director general of national prison service, Gen. Henry Kuac Aguar, the prisons are full of inmates and some inmates have been held in jail without due legal process for over years.
“there are inmates that have overstayed in the prison without their cases being reviewed and appealed to the higher leadership to put it into consideration” Henry Kuac Aguar said
Aguar stressed that there are a number of challenges facing the national prison service such as insufficient fund, lack of clean water, rampant corruption, lack of electricity, means of transportations and urged for the support from the President.
“Insufficient budget for the feeding of inmates, lack of budget for the rehabilitation of inmates,” Aguar said.
“Most prison facilities are now dilapidated and very old, not to mention the philosophy of corruption. We have no water tanker car [for clean water], generators to supply the prison with electricity, or a cage car for the transportation of prisoners to courts, hospitals and farms.” Aguar added.
Addressing the inmates at the national prison in Juba, Kiir instead encouraged the inmates to cooperate with the prison officers and among themselves saying the reason they are in prison is because the law wants to correct their bad behavior.
“You are not here because you are hated by the people; you are here because the law wants to correct you to be a citizen that can be made of use. And being in prison does not mean you have become so useless that you cannot go back to society again,” Kiir said, praising those who have “transformed themselves.”
President Salva Kiir also added that, those inmates that have proven good conduct, their cases will be reviewed and they will be released on new year 1st of January 2020.
According to president Kiir, prison service will be among key institutions that will be given attention when the new transitional government of national unity is formed; however, it is unclear if the warring parties shall form the RTGoNU in February, 2020 as major pre-transitional mechanisms are still pending.
“As we are now entering a new year, a new era of peace, once the revitalized transitional government of national unity is formed, the prison services will be one of the institutions given priority,” Kiir said.
“Prison services will be vital in economic development and transformation of society. We shall provide all the logistics, working environment and tools to enable you to deliver your mandate.” He continued.
The Minister of Interior, Michael Chiengjiek urged for the President’s support to construct a new prison that will enable the prison service carry out their mandate. Michael Chiengjeik said, the national prison is over congested and some of the inmates who have shown good conduct, their cases will be reviewed.
