South Sudan News Agency

By Holy Crook

Juba, January 7, 2013 (SSNA) -- This is not a report. It is not an opinion article either. Nor is it a news story. It is what it is. So, please, read it carefully. Strive to understand every single letter, every single word, every single sentence, every single paragraph. The photos too (check images by clicking next on top-right corner of this document).

In this piece, I’ve refused to self-censor myself. I have refused to be muzzled by journalism ethics. I’ve rejected professional code of conduct. To hell with decency. My love for my country reigns over everything else. It has overcome the fear of being gunned down in a broad daylight by political goons. I’m decided and nothing is going to stop me. This is war; the second liberation of South Sudanese. In this exposé, I am going to call a spade a spade, not a big spoon. I am going to name names, big names.

In this essay, I will make sure none of these individuals escapes the wrath of truth. This is the wrath of a pen. Since some of the individuals involved are too powerful to be made to face the law right now and even in the future, I will send them to my own jail. Call it mental Guantanamo Bay.

What is taking the government so long to end the Dura saga? Why is it so secretive about the issue? Do we know the names of the companies involved in the scandal? Who are the shareholders of the companies?  Why does the Council of Ministers seem so reluctant to investigate and prosecute these individuals? Who is willing to tell the truth about the issue? Do you think the government has the will to tackle it?

Well, as a citizen who would wish to live in a better South Sudan, a country whose independence was gained through blood, flesh and tears - I’m going to contribute somehow to the possible solutions to this rampant and shameful precedent our leaders are setting. Do yourself a favor: Keep reading….

Dear South Sudanese, as per the proof I have, the whole issue is very complicated. The judiciary cannot do anything about it. Don’t even think about the President. It’s a total deadlock. Considering the individuals involved in this scandal, I don’t see the citizens will get justice. Do you remember the crane-frog pictorial message? The one in which the crane struggles to swallow a frog but it can’t because the frog has grabbed it by the thin neck, making swallowing impossible.

See (click next) photo number two on top-right

The Frog represents the Dura saga companies; while the crane represents President Kiir

Yes. The above message may not bear the exactitude of what is going on but it at least gives you a clue about the impossibilities, complications and complexities surrounding the issue. It is just impossible for the current government of South Sudan to bring to book those who pocketed millions of dollars.

Background

In 2008, billions of US dollars worth of contracts were signed by the ministry of finance with some fake companies to deliver the grain to the ten states as a government’s response to the hunger in the then self-autonomous region.

The grain, locally known as Dura, was meant to be sold to the hunger-stricken millions at cheaper prices and the money remitted to the ministry of finance. However, many individuals secured the contracts with fake documents, claiming to be companies and ended up getting away with hundreds of millions of dollars without any grain delivered to the states.

Last year, the parliament summoned the former ministers, Michael Makuei Lueth, Kuol Athian and David Deng Athorbei over the issue.

Kuol Athian defended himself, saying the companies he contracted were legally registered by the former ministry of legal affairs and constitutional development under Michael Makuei Lueth. Also, he said he paid the companies who brought with them certificates of acknowledgement from the states that they had actually delivered the Dura to the states in accordance with the contracts signed, a revelation contrary to what the people on the ground said. Officials in the states said the Dura never reached the states or the intended destinations. Well, everything is clear here. Let’s leave Kuol Athian out of this.

Honorable Michael Makuei Lueth

Michael Makuei Lueth, the incumbent Parliamentary Affairs minister has some accountability work to do. His former ministry registered the companies listed below. These are some of the companies which robbed the people of the monies from the American people.

See (click next) photo number three on top-right

Names of the companies involved:

Me & My Kids? Five Men for Development? HAAH? Just by looking at the names of these companies, one is left with an impression that indeed the grants were divided amongst individuals.

Honorable Makuei owes South Sudanese an explanation. He must be made to reveal the faces behind these companies. Legally, there are procedures one must follow through in order to have a company registered. What criteria did his ministry use to register the companies? Generally, the application is made in person at the Registrar General's office. Did honorable Makuei ensure that these legal processes were applied? That means the owners of these companies did show up at the registrar’s and they are known. If not, then the companies were registered via remote control. The registrar must have been instructed by senior people to do the registration, and signing done in bedrooms. This handcuffs Makuei and his juniors. They’re accomplices. Period.

Benjamin Bol Mel

See (click next) photo number four on top-right

Bol is the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce. He is the owner of the national multi-billion dollar construction company, ABMC. He is also the manager of Home & Away and Alok Company. Why was he writing to President Kiir to pay off contracts, majority of which were bogus?  What is the relationship between Bol Mel and President Salva Kiir anyway? 

See (click next) photo number five on top-right

David Deng Athorbei  

In the letter, Benjamin Bol Mel reveals that the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, under Deng Athorbei, was deflating the original figures.

“The effort from the ministry for finance and Economic Planning making in reducing the outstanding balances from their original levels is appreciated, but further reduction, along the lines we have suggested, should be a practical step towards empowering our members to be part of the referendum process and for some to get freedom from jails. The Referendum is a make or break affair for us all.”

See (click next) photo number six on top-right

This indicates that Deng Athorbei had actually reduced the amounts the ghost companies owed the Finance Ministry and Bol insisted on additional cut down. Here Honorable Deng handcuffs himself. He is an accomplice. Period.

President Salva Kiir

So, the President actually ordered Deng Athorbei to manipulate the figures? So, Mister President can stoop this low? Since Kiir, the President, the very person who should spearhead zero-tolerance to mal-practices is the problem here, do you still have hope in the government. Now that the President has proven himself crooked, how about his juniors? 

By Luk Kuth Dak

“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

July 11, 2011 (SSNA) -- Not even in my wildest dreams have I ever thought that this day will eventually emerge. After all, it took a little over five decades of vicious oppression and countless innocent lives lost in the process for the Sun to ultimately shine in the skies of South Sudan, announcing that a new day has indeed arrived

On July 9, 2011, the world’s newest nation named the Republic of South Sudan (ROSS) was born. A nation of God given rights. A nation of patriots, who because of their bravery, honor, and sacrifices, there will live a free people on that soil.

Like any baby, ROSS will be vulnerable and fragile. Indeed, any mother will tell you, the hardest part of delivering a baby is not the pain, but what awaits the newborn. Obviously, any women can deliver a baby, but not every woman can raise a child to become a good member of the human society. In another word, the toughest part is the upbringing of that child, especially if the mother is a single one.

By the same token, ROSS is just another baby who if not taken care from an early age, it can be added to the list of the so-called “ street- children” or ends up being behind bars for the rest of his/her life. The question: Is that what we really want our precious ( baby) to be like?

I don’t think so.

With our independence comes a great deal of responsibility; a task that will require hard work and perseverance that we all have to shoulders, if we don’t want to see an example of Somalia staring us in the face. I strongly suggest that after the celebrations are over, we ought to take some time out to think positively and critically about the future of the country we have just inherited. A better place to start from is to take a closer look at some of the failed states and the successful ones all across the globe. In so doing, we would not only learn not to repeat what let to the failure of some of the states, but we could also emulate the successful ones such as the United States and Ghana, to mention just a few.

Too often, as we struggle to move forward as people and a one nation, we seem to highlight our differences, those things that set us apart, and we forget to focus on our commonalities, the things that bring us together. I’m a firmed believer that God Almighty created us looking almost alike for a reason. On a personal note, those who do not know my Nuer heritage think that am from the Dinka or and the Anyuak tribes, respectively. I have no problem about that. After all, I have a daughter who is a half Nuer and a half Dinka. At 9 years old, Mirry, has never asked me what her tribe is, but when she does, I will gladly tell her that it’s the Nuer, and that’s it. What I will not tell her, however, is that the Nuer are better than any other tribes in South Sudan!!

We have to do better, and better we must. There are hundreds of millions of people across the globe who have been inspired by our independence. We cannot let them down. We cannot let our children down, by leaving them behind with a failed state.

Yet, as challenging as the events may be around us today, I truly believe we will overcome them if we continue to be solidly united as we have demonstrated during these past few days of our independence. We cannot turn back the clock. We must move forward. But, as we do so, we must always remember those who paved the way for us with their precious blood and soul. Those are the real heroes of this historical moment.

I wish you all a blessed Independence Day.

God bless the Republic of South Sudan.

The author is a former anchorman at Juba Radio, and he can be reached via e-mail at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

August 26, 2010 (Khartoum) -- Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir will attend the ceremony of Kenya’s new constitution, Sudan state run media SUNA reports on Thursday.

SUNA initially broke the news saying al-Bashir will head to Kenya on Friday at the invitation from his Kenyan counterpart president Mwai Kibaki to attend the celebrations of the declaration of the new Kenyan constitution.

However, during a briefing to the media, Kenya's secretary to the Cabinet Amb Francis Muthaura indicated that presidents of Tanzania, Rwanda, Comoros, Somalia and Government of Southern Sudan as among those who would attend the occasion, according to the Daily Nation-Kenya.

“President Al-Bashir will be accompanied during the visit by the Minister at the Presidency of the Republic, Gen. Bakri Hassan Salih, the Presidential Advisor, Dr Mustafa Osman Ismail, the Foreign Minister, Ali Karti, and the Director of the National Security and Intelligence, Gen. Mohamed Atta”, SUNA further explained.

It is not clear as to why the president would only choose top government figures who are from his ruling National Congress party (NCP) without including anyone from his main peace partner, the SPLM.

Khartoum has increasingly becomes furious after al-Bashir was charged in June by the Hague-based court with three counts of genocide.

Omar al-Bashir who consistently refused to recognize court rulings went to Chad in June to attend three days summit of the Sahel-Saharan states – a move seen by many analysts as collective effort by Khartoum the defy the court.

The Sudanese president is wanted by International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Kenya is a member of Rome Statue and can implement the warrant if it chooses to do so.

The South Sudan News Agency (SSNA) has not independently confirmed the report whether or not president al-Bashsir left for Nairobi to attend the ceremony.