African leaders at the IGAD heads of state and government meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya on Friday, December 27, 2013 (Photo: Moses Lomoyat)
December 29, 2013 [Washington, DC] — South Sudan’s human rights group, the Alliance for South Sudanese in Diaspora (ASSD) has condemned the Ugandan government’s involvement in South Sudan’s internal affairs.
In a press release extended to the South Sudan News Agency, the group urges other East African nations, particularly, Ethiopia and Kenya to stay neutral in the ongoing crisis in the conflict-hit South Sudan.
“Alliance for South Sudanese in Diaspora (ASSD) condemns the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni for his involvement in the internal South Sudanese Affairs”, says the statement.
“ASSD specifically urge Kenya and Ethiopia to stay neutral and not follow what Yoweri Museveni of Uganda is doing in South Sudan”, the statement continues.
In its declaration, the US-based rights groups said “ASSD urge all Eastern African Countries to stay neutral without meddling in the South Sudanese internal affairs as this may complicate and widen this conflict to the entire region”, the group warned.
“We urge President Museveni to stop using latest weaponry to massacre innocent South Sudanese in the Greater Upper Nile Region and immediately stop aiding Kiir’s militants with air support”, the statement added.
On Friday, leaders of East Africa met in the Kenya capital, Nairobi, and threw their weight behind South Sudanese president Salva kiir.
“Let it be known that we in IGAD will not accept the unconstitutional overthrow of a duly and democratically elected government in South Sudan. Violence has never provided optimum solutions”, Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta said in a statement.
The news of IGAD’s support to Kiir was received with mixed reactions in South Sudan; some Juba’s residents branded the Block’s move as a “statement of cover up”.
The Alliance calls on the United Nations, Norway, United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to intervene and help the two worrying parties reach a peaceful solution. The group also urges member states of the International Community to ask Uganda to leave South Sudan.
“We would like to ask the UN, United States of America, African Union, Canada, United Kingdom, and Norway to intervene and ask Uganda to leave South Sudanese alone”, ASSD says.
On the 15th of December 2013, fighting erupted in Juba between different units of presidential guards. On the next day, president Kiir declare in a press conference that his political rivals led by former Vice President Dr. Riek Machar staged a coup, but, the claim has been met with fierce resistance from the public with some senior government officials calling it “an inside job” planned to get rid of anyone who changes Kiir’s leadership style.
At least 1000 people have been killed in the conflict and many people are still missing.
Bellow is the original text of the statement:
___________________________________________________________
December 29, 2013
Press Release
Alliance for South Sudanese in Diaspora (ASSD) Condemns Ugandan Yoweri Museveni Involvement in South Sudanese internal Affairs
Alliance for South Sudanese in Diaspora (ASSD) condemns the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni for his involvement in the internal South Sudanese Affairs. ASSD urge all Eastern African Countries to stay neutral without meddling in the South Sudanese internal affairs as this may complicate and widen this conflict to the entire region.
ASSD specifically urge Kenya and Ethiopia to stay neutral and not follow what Yoweri Museveni of Uganda is doing in South Sudan. We urge President Museveni to stop using latest weaponry to massacre innocent South Sudanese in the Greater Upper Nile Region and immediately stop aiding Kiir’s militants with air support.
We would like to ask the UN, United States of America, African Union, Canada, United Kingdom, and Norway to intervene and ask Uganda to leave South Sudanese alone.
The Alliance urge Ugandan forces in South Sudan’s soil to leave immediately and failure to do so constitute an invasion and meddling in South Sudan’s internal affairs.
For more information, please call us at +1(202) 709- or via email at southsudaneseindiasporaallianc@gmail.com
Department of Information and Public Affairs
Alliance for South Sudanese in Diaspora (ASSD)
Washington, DC, USA
+1(202) 709-7322
Southsudaneseindiasporaallianc@gmail.com
About the ASSD: ASSD is an umbrella organization for South Sudanese organizations and individuals championing the causes for freedom, democracy, human rights, governance and development in South Sudan.
