By Lt. Col. Wayi Godwill Edward
Dec 2, 2017(Nyamilepedia)Â —- SPLM (IO) Government of Yei River State hereby categorically dismiss as utter rubbish the allegations labeled against its leadership in a letter dated November 27, 2017, Ref: 12/17C32, addressed by Collins Kepa to Mr. Andrews Asamoah, member of the UN Panel of Experts on South Sudan.
The letter places shared responsibility on SPLA-IO and Kiir’s government over the four civilians who had their throats slit at Jale, in Kajo-Keji County just close to Uganda border at Afoji on Friday 24-11-2017. It also claimed SPLA-IO attacked NAS bases in Kajo-Keji with an aim of uprooting it out, and that Governor Matata Frank is carrying out lucrative teak business in Loka plantation in Lainya County.
We would want to state it clearly to all the South Sudanese and the world right bodies that the writer of these groundless allegations is the Spokesperson of the National Salvation Front (NAS) Office in Canada. He lives and does some manual job in Ottawa, Canada. He is one of the sons of Equatoria in the diaspora who is on top of the NAS agenda to hijack the leadership of SPLM/A (IO) not only in greater Yei, but also the whole of Equatoria region. He is among the lobbyists of NAS who are busy fabricating lies against SPLM/A (IO) in Yei, especially its leadership. From the inception of NAS until now they have generated negative propaganda against our leadership with an aim of demobilising our forces to Join NAS. This unfortunate action by NAS officer presents an unjustifiable political question.
Nevertheless, these allegations are expression of their frustration over the complete military defeat of NAS in Kajo-Keji after its forces under the command of Gen. John Kenyi Lo-Buron and Brig. Gen. Ciricio Morobe attacked and temporarily occupied our bases at Bori, Sokare and Jalimo.
We want to reiterate that SPLA-IO has no hand in the brutal killing of the two innocent civilians who had their throats cut at Jale. It was the notorious soldiers of Juba regime that slaughtered these civilians in cold blood. The evidence is with the two survivors who are currently receiving treatment in Uganda, though our reliable sources say NAS leadership in Uganda attempted to bribe the survivors to allege that SPLA-IO was linked with the incident, but the two declined to accept the offer.
The murder of the two preceded meetings held by members of Yei River State grassroots peace initiative of David Lokonga Moses and President Salva Kiir’s National Dialogue led by Yei River State’s Deputy Speaker, Silvano ‘Bata with refugees at Morobi Refugees Settlement in Moyo District of Uganda where most of the refugees from Kajo-Keji are hosted and later at Jale on Thursday 23/11/2017. The group lured the refugees to voluntarily return to Kajo-Keji claiming that peace had come to the area, and that it would allow them to fully participate in the processes of the grassroots peace initiative and the national dialogue. The victims of that incident were responding to the call of the government to come and clean their homes in Jale, only to find themselves fell into the merciless Mathiang Anyoor.
We also want to clarify to all South Sudanese and their friends globally that SPLM (IO) is never involved in any timber business in Yei River State. The teak plantation mentioned in the allegations is entirely under the control of Juba regime.
While we condemn his premature and incredible allegations, we equally advise Collins Kepa to stop misusing the name of “Voices of Concerned South Sudanese” to advance his personal political agenda.
Lt. Col. Wayi Godwill Edward
Spokesman
Office of the Governor
Yei River State
