American senator warns Kiir risks losing US support over rights suppression

JUBA – A United States senator has warned that President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s regime may lose support of the American government over continued suppression of human rights in the world’s youngest country days after former Northern Bahr el Ghazal state governor Kuel Aguer was arrested following formation of a civil rights group.

Aguer early this week formed, along with activists Rajab Muhandis and Abraham Awolich, People’s Coalition for Civil Action (PCCA) with the aim of mobilizing the people of South Sudan to make their voice heard.

A statement by signatories of the newly-established civil society group pronounced that the suffering people of South Sudan who have been in war for seven years “have had enough of wars, enough of corruption, enough of insecurity, enough of economic hardships, enough of public neglect and leadership failure.”

The National Security Service on Monday arrested Aguer and has since been hunting down Muhandis and Awolich who have since fled into hiding. Several sources have told Sudans Post on Thursday evening that the spy agency has conditioned the family of Aguer to convince Muhandis and Awolich to surrender so that Aguer is released.

In a statement on Thursday, US Senator Patrick Leahy said the people of South Sudan cannot wait for another decade for freedom just because the leaders of the world’s youngest country are fighting over control of the country, adding that the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit may lose support if the rights violations continue.

“The people of South Sudan cannot wait another decade for progress. They cannot wait for politicians to argue over control while their children go hungry, while they sink deeper into poverty, while they worry that the next outbreak of violent conflict might send them fleeing for their lives,” Leahy said in the statement published on his US Senate blog.

“President Kiir has an opportunity now, with a new parliament seated and the seeds for an active and engaged citizenry sown, to show true leadership. He has no time to waste, or he will risk wasting his country’s future and losing the support of the United States,” the statement seen by Sudans Post added.