Ex-police officer offers to head Kiir’s election campaign in Greater Equatoria

JUBA – A former South Sudan police officer who had left the country under duress has offered to head the presidential election campaign for President Salva Kiir Mayardit, but then accused unnamed beneficiaries of his absence of derailing his return to the world’s youngest country.

Col. Dominic Gabriel Mogga Baba who had left the country around 2016 asked President Salva Kiir Mayardit last year asking him to allow his return to the country and said that he was not being allowed to return by some security agents whom he had accused of benefiting from his ghost name in the ministry of interior.

In an open letter extended to Sudans Post last week, Col. Dominic said Kiir has reinstated some anti-peace elements into the army following the formation of the unified security sector commands and said he would be eager to return to the country should the president allow that.

“Following the agreement signed between the South Sudanese Government and the SPLA-IO Kit-Gwang faction and following your recent decision to allocate top government positions in the government, including the security sector to some anti-peace and power hungry elements because of the power of their guns,” Col. Dominic wrote.

“I would like to submit my request to return to the country and to submit my proposal to head your presidential bid in greater Equatoria to your office for your positive response so that together we can create space for a democratic South Sudan for peaceful, free and fair elections to be conducted in the country,” he added.

The former police officer urged the president to either relief him or re-instead him to the South Sudan police service and accused unnamed officials within the police service and the ministry of interior of benefiting from his ghost name which he said he had left open following his flight into exile.

“Your Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit, incase my proposal does not fit in your priorities, Please I would request you to officially relieve me from South Sudan Police service and grant me the status of an ordinary citizen so I can return home rather than seeking refuge or living in a foreign land,” he said.

“You have the powers to appoint and the powers to relieve. As such you appointed me to South Sudan Police service and only you can appoint, re-instate or dismiss me from service. I was not officially dismissed from the police and my name might be among the ghost names whose salaries they benefit from in South Sudan police service,” he added.