FILE - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, center, accompanied by army chief of staff Paul Malong Awan, right, attends an independence day ceremony in the capital Juba, South Sudan, July 9, 2015.
South Sudan's former army chief said he has no plans to return to South Sudan after completing his medical examinations in Kenya.
Gen. Paul Malong Awan told VOA's South Sudan In Focus that he has credible threats to his life in South Sudan.
"Why should I go to Juba? When they called me to come back, they put me under house arrest. Should I go to Juba to be arrested?" Awan asked.
Juba is the capital of South Sudan and its largest city.
Awan had been a longtime governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal before he was appointed chief of general staff of the Sudan People's Liberation Army by President Salva Kiir Mayardit. His appointment followed mass resignations by a number of senior generals who claimed the SPLA was involved in ethnic cleansing and war crimes.
Awan was fired by Kiir in May 2017, and attempted to return to his hometown of Aweil. However, his convoy was intercepted at Yirol.
He was persuaded by the elders in Yirol to return to Juba to talk with Kiir, and was placed under house arrest there.
The former army chief was released in November 2017 to seek medical treatment in Kenya after one of his wives and community leaders pleaded for his release.
"If you are put under house arrest for seven months without charges, will you feel that is friendship?" Awan asked. "Our friendship started when President Salva was not a president. And today, we are not equal. He is the president, and I am an ordinary person. You cannot force somebody to be your friend.''
In January 2018, the South Sudan government accused Awan of ordering opposition fighters to attack government positions across the country, a charge Awan vehemently denied.
"What do I have in that place?" Awan asked. "Yes, my family is there. Some of my family are here [in Kenya]. But I am denied to be liberal [free] when I am there. Why should I go where I can be arrested?"
The European Union imposed sanctions Friday on Awan and two current South Sudanese officials who were implicated in human rights violations and obstruction of the country's peace process.
The Trump administration imposed sanctions last year on two senior members of South Sudan's government, including the former army chief.
Awan said he does not work for the government of South Sudan and wonders why he is still being sanctioned by a foreign government.
Newer articles:
- South Sudan bishop wins Roosevelt freedom award for his peace village - 07/02/2018 10:13
- A Call for Aid and Peace in South Sudan - 06/02/2018 15:36
- Two Journalists Beaten in South Sudan Protest - 06/02/2018 14:34
- South Sudan’s first female pilot takes the captain’s seat at Delta Air Lines - 06/02/2018 09:22
- Violence as South Sudan protesters denounce US arms embargo - 06/02/2018 09:15
Older news items
- Western nations call on South Sudan neighbors to impose arms embargo - 05/02/2018 08:07
- South Sudan told to end 'nightmare' of war as new peace talks open - 05/02/2018 06:45
- Pope announces day of prayer, fasting for Congo and South Sudan - 05/02/2018 06:01
- Child abductions rise amid South Sudan's grinding civil war - 04/02/2018 12:36
- South Sudan downplays significance of arms embargo imposed by United States - 04/02/2018 04:49
Latest news items (all categories):
- [Audio] South Sudan holdout groups form alliance - 10/01/2025 14:12
- South Sudan restores crude oil production and export via Sudan as force majeure is lifted - 10/01/2025 14:00
- South Sudan: promoting empowerment through education - 10/01/2025 13:52
- Juba moves to claim disputed oil-rich Abyei - 10/01/2025 13:46
- South Sudan: Humanitarian Snapshot (December 2024) - 10/01/2025 13:42
Random articles (all categories):
- Onek sues three MPs over calling him South Sudanese - 24/07/2020 18:26
- South Sudan: Place Moratorium on Death Penalty - Tolerance - 05/11/2012 00:01
- South Sudan rebels take most of strategic Bor - 31/12/2013 15:38
- South Sudan: Sudanese Army Chief and RSF Leader Agree on Seven-day Truce - 02/05/2023 13:03
- South Sudan: Humanitarian Response Dashboard (June 2019) - 15/08/2019 11:03
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 61174 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22297 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21479 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19031 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18708 times