Governor Futuyo denies forming militia in Western Equatoria

JUBA, JULY 24, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – The governor of South Sudan’s Western Equatoria State, Alfred Futuyo, has dismissed as “misplaced” allegations that he has formed a militia group to fight the Avungara tribe in the western part of the state.

The allegations, which were circulated on social media last week, claim that Futuyo, a senior SPLA-IO commander sanctioned by the United States, has embezzled money from the state pension funds and civil servants’ salaries to form a militia against the Avungara tribe.

The allegations also claim that a committee has been formed by President Salva Kiir to look into the corruption allegations against Futuyo.

However, in a statement issued by his press secretary, Alex Daniel, Futuyo denied the allegations and said that the committee, which he said was formed by the president to investigate the violence along South Sudan’s border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, will soon release its report.

“The allegations trending on social media that H.E. Governor has formed his own militias against Avungara are misplaced,” Daniel said. “The committee’s report will be made available soon, detailing all findings which reflect the reality on the ground to avoid misinformation.”

The statement also condemned the allegations and claimed that there is a resistance aimed at removing the governor in Tambura County, where violence in 2021 killed and displaced many civilians.

“Governor Alfred Futuyo symbolizes the unity of every single tribe in Western Equatoria regardless of the resistance from Tambura County who always seek for unconstitutional removal of Governor,” Daniel said.

The allegations against Futoyo come amid growing tensions in Western Equatoria, where there have been a series of attacks in recent months.

In April, at least  three SSPDF soldiers were wounded when what was described by the state government as an unknown foreign militia group attacked soldiers along the South Sudan border with DR Congo and Central African Republic.

South Sudan’s presidential minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told state-own South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) at the time that a committee comprising security chiefs had been formed by President Salva Kiir Mayardit to visit the areas and report to the government.

There were unverified reports at the time that armed Arab militias from Mali, Chad, and Central African Republic were crossing into South Darfur State of Sudan via Western and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states in South Sudan to join the ongoing conflict in Sudan.