Citizens castigate Kiir over ‘one-sided report with ridiculous errors’

JUBA – South Sudanese citizens have castigated President Salva Kiir Mayardit for the publication of a report they believe is one-sided with many errors, a day after the National Security Service (NSS) released a classified document detailing events leading up to the outbreak of the conflict in December 2013 and July 2016.

The office of the president on Wednesday afternoon published the report on its Facebook page enabling the public to comment directly. The report details government allegation that First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny and Vice President Taban were behind the outbreak of violence in December 2013 and July 2016 for attempt to depose the president.

One of the commentators said the report that has reportedly cost the government at least 17 million United States Dollar is a “waste of resources” and that “the report is biased, lacks consistency and has a lot of mistakes. It can never wash the dirty face of the government. It is a one-sided report with ridiculous errors.”

The report authored by Stephen Kay, a British lawyer, then wrongly stated that the world’s youngest country “became an independent state in 2012” and said the international community “got it wrong in South Sudan by ignoring what was said on its behalf in pursuit of a preconceived agenda for western led policies and solutions.”

One commentator said the government wasted money on someone who does not know the independence of South Sudan and therefore, that the same individual should not be expected to tell the truth as to what really took country to conflict.

“Imagine if the guy that has been paid $17 million and doesn’t know the date of the independence of South Sudan. How can he even tell the truth rather than white lies to please the government? Indeed, he has been paid to advance a government narrative that he knows was misleading,” the commentator said.