Juba, South Sudan
June 14, 2022 — South Sudan government has been dragged to the East African Court of Justice by a South Sudanese Juba-based lawyer over the ongoing government project to dredge tributaries of River Nile.
On 9th June, the country’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced the arrival of a 21-truck convoy from Egypt via Sudan border importing heavy dredging machines, the move sparked the hate debates and mix reactions among the citizens.
Despite attempts made by the office of the president to deny having knowledge of the imported dredging equipment, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation maintains that the agreement on the dredging project was reached between the government of Egypt and South Sudan during a meeting in Cairo in 2021.
A Juba-based Lawyer Elario Adam logged a complaint against the government saying the project is environmentally untenable and it will traverse protected area in East Africa, with undue regard to livelihoods, gender, food, children and public health of the East Africans.
Adam argues that the area through which the dredging project shall pass is comprised of several settlements, farmlands and water sources for thousands of indigenous persons and there has been no regard to their rights.
He stressed that the Egyptian-led dredging project will traverse many legally protected forest reserves and several rivers and lakes that water sources for thousands of people, animals and wildlife habitats.
“The Applicants have a prime facie case as the people where the Egyptian dredging project is designed and environment will suffer irreparable damage if the application is not granted since the main reference raises issues of affecting livelihoods and the environment including: permanent loss of habitats, stress and mortality to flora and fauna, loss of primary productivity in watercourses, loss of ecological function among others”, the litigation reads.
“In addition, it is the Role of East Africa Court of Justice in balancing its interpretative jurisdiction against the needs of ensuring that Partner States are not unduly hindered in their development programs.”Adam added in statement obtained by Nyamilepedia.
According to concerned lawyer South Sudan shall suffer substantial and irreparable loss and damages to the environment; wiping out of protected animals’ species and forest reserves, damaging the ecosystem and loss of livelihoods if the Respondents by themselves, employee and/or agents and their servants and/or employees are not stopped from dredging the River Nile.
He emphasized that the government of South Sudan has “already received the dredging machine from the Egyptian government and the suit will be rendered nugatory if a temporary injunction is not issued restraining the said project.”
