From Adia Jildo, in Juba
South Africa’s ambassador to South Sudan has raised the alarm over troika’s influence to South Sudan.
Mahlodi Muofhe expressed frustration over the perceived meddling of the nine countries which include the Kingdom of Netherlands, the European Union, the Embassy of Canada, Embassy of France, Embassy of Germany, the United States of America, British Embassy, Norwegian Embassy and the Swedish Embassy in Juba calling for respect for the country’s sovereignty.
“It is important for us as foreign diplomats accredited to South Sudan or any country for that matter to respect the sovereignty of the country we are accredited to,” he stressed.
Mahlodi questioned the legitimacy of the nine countries under Troika citing “in law and otherwise, there’s nothing called Troika anyway.”
He said that their decisions were seen as undermining the decisions of the people of South Sudan and its sovernity as an independent state.
He urged the diplomats to respect the sovereignty and autonomy of their host countries.
The Troika countries in their joint statement stated that the enactment of the bill into law shows absence of freedom of expression which undermines the government’s commitment to assertion of political and civic space.
A press release by the United Nations Human Right commission has called on the President of the Republic of South Sudan to return the proposed National Security amendment bill to the parliament for review, citing the bill as entrenching arbitrary arrest and further repression of the South Sudanese people.
The National Legislative Assemblyi passed the National Security Service Act 2015 Amendment Bill with Articles 54 and 55, which allows for arrest without warrant.
President Salva Kiir Mayardit and and his first vice President Riak Machar had agreed to remove the two sections, which grant the National Security Service powers to arrest and detain people without an arrest warrant.
