Gov’t spokesman compares South Sudan insecurity to US school shootings

JUBA – South Sudan’s information minister Michael Makuei Lueth has claimed that the International Community has ‘a big problem’ for blaming the government in Juba for the ongoing insecurity in the country saying there is no different between what is happening in South Sudan to school shootings in the United States.

Speaking to reporters following a weekly cabinet meeting on Friday, Makuei who is also the government spokesman said South Sudan government should not be liable to crimes committed by rebel groups and said Ugandans have once witnessed crimes against them by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), but were not blamed on the Ugandan government.

“There is no way we would say that whatever offense committed by any criminal or an outlaw, the government must be answerable. That is not true because when the LRA was here, it is us who chased them away,” Makuei said.

“They know what the LRA was doing with Ugandan citizens. Was the government held responsible? Now that the rebels are with us today, whatever atrocities they commit, should the government be held responsible?” the senior government official asked.

He lamented the international community for continuing blames against the government in Juba comparing the insecurity in South Sudan to US school shootings which he said are only blamed on the criminals, something he said should be the cause in South Sudan when opposition groups target citizens.

“There is a big problem with the international community. Even in America, people go out shooting children in the schools, is the government of America held responsible for the death of those children? No.” Makuei said.

“But it is those criminals who are tracked down and brought to book if they are found. So with us here in South Sudan, it is rather strange because whatever crime committed by an individual is counted against the government,” he added.

 

Makuei said Ugandan lawmakers who spoke about the ambushing and killing of their people in South Sudan could be South Sudanese in the opposition and did not know what they were talking about.

“Those lawyers, I am sure they don’t know what they are talking about. These are the lawyers who could be South Sudanese in disguise, they could be South Sudanese who are in opposition and writing in the name of lawyers in Uganda,” he said.