South Sudan contests US declaration of war as national security threat

April 3, 2015 (JUBA) - South Sudan has protested against the renewal of an executive order in which president Barrack Obama of the United States has declared the current 15-month long conflict in the young nation as a threat to Washington’s national security and foreign policy.

US president Barack Obama meets with South Sudanese president Salva Kiir Mayardit in New York on 21 September 2011 (Photo: AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The US administration this week renewed the 2014 executive order which compels the Obama administration to take further measures in ending the war in South Sudan.

The US president told his nation that the ongoing deadly war in the new African country posed threats to American interests and had to be stopped.

South Sudan government however reacted in protest against the decision, claiming the executive order had unnecessarily created panic in the country when the situation had now changed for the better.

Minister of cabinet affairs, Martin Elia Lomuro, said in a statement broadcast on Friday by the state owned South Sudan Television (SSTV) and radio that the decision of president Obama to renew the previous executive order was “unfortunate and inappropriate.”

He was speaking following a cabinet meeting after the US executive order became a public knowledge in the country.

Lomuro said the order has created “unnecessary panic and became source of fear-generated misinterpretation.”

“The renewal of the executive order by president Obama is unfortunate and inappropriate because the situation now is not like when it was issued in 2014,” he claimed.

The cabinet minister said the first order was issued by then when the security situation created because of the alleged failed coup on 15 December 2013 by the former vice-president, Riek Machar, transformed itself into rebellion.

He said the failed coup created some concerns for humanitarian and human rights issues but said this had now changed.

Lomoru challenged the US knowledge about the current situation in South Sudan, which the minister thought had calmed down despite the reported renewed upsurge of violence in the three states of Greater Upper Nile, and intra-communal violence in Lakes and Central Equatoria states as well as skirmishes in Western Bhar el Ghazal state.

“We believe the US president has not been updated sufficiently. Now the council of ministers has resolved to form a task-force to provide detailed accounts and information reflecting the current situation to update others,” he said.

Foreign minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, also said the order was no longer relevant.
“As the government and indeed as the country we see there is a big difference from the time the order was issued and now,” he said.

“If you compare the 2014 which is the year in which president Obama issued this executive order and the 2015, which is this year, you find that this executive order is no longer relevant.”

He said the issues that were raised in the executive order were about the events in 2014, which he said have now improved.

Relations between Juba and Washington have further strained following public statements by senior government officials against planned active involvement of Troika countries (US, UK and Norway) in the ongoing peace process to end the war.

Fighting has continued between the rival forces loyal to president Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar.

A top South Sudanese army general was among soldiers killed on Wednesday in an ambush in the outskirts of the oil-rich Upper Nile state’s capital, Malakal.

(ST)