By William Madouk
Government of South Sudan is angered over a remark by former U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, describing South Sudan and DR Congo as “very corrupt nations.”
Ms. Haley, who is also United States presidential contender, said on Wednesday that if the FBI is not held accountable for the “Russian hoax,” then the U.S. is not different from South Sudan or the DR. Congo, where corruption is rampant.
“If not, what makes us any different [from] South Sudan or Democratic Republic of Congo. This kind of corruption happens in those third world countries. It should never happen in America,” she told Fox News during an interview.
South Sudan embassy in Washington, said while reacting to the matter that they are disturbed by Haley’s appalling and inaccurate remarks.
“We strongly condemned Ambassador Haley for erroneously assuming that there is no accountability in South Sudan,” reads the protest statement, in part.
“Even though the 2013 civil war in South Sudan weakened institutions, the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) had taken steps to hold perpetrators who committed crimes accountable,” it added.
South Sudan Embassy argued that its Juba government has been holding culprits answerable and has already taken serious step to combat corruption by realizing Financial Management reforms.
“A case in point is the Terrain Hotel incident of 2016 in which the government established a military Tribunal, which convicted the perpetrators of the crimes of sexual assault,” Juba embassy in U.S. cited.
It added that the government has charged and convicted dozens of officials, including ministers relieved from their duty due to corruption, but the embassy did not specify the minister sacked because of graft.
“As presidential candidate, who is vying to become the U.S. president, it is advisable for her to refrain from wrongly attacking South Sudan,” the statement noted.
But the embassy said: “though we don’t expect her to apologize to the people of South Sudan, given what she wrote about the country in her 2019 book entitled ‘With All Due Respect: Defending with Grit and Grace.”
They stressed that Nikki, as aspiring presidential candidate for United State presidency, should humble herself and withdraw her statement.
However, Nikki Haley is yet to respond to the embassy’s statement.
Two weeks ago, the American District Court of Columbia dismissed a case filed against South Sudan by international aid workers who were assaulted by soldiers during the 2016 fighting.
On July 11, 2016, attack in Juba; some South Sudan People’s Defense Force [SSPDF] broke into Terrain Hotel to rape aid workers and kill others, including a journalist.
US District Court of Columbia dismissed the case, concurring with South Sudan’s government defense team that it was immune from any suit filed against it in the US under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.
A joint South Sudan Government-United Nations investigation committee also concluded that it was South Sudan government soldiers, who had committed the attack on the hotel, and the international aid workers.
A South Sudan army court convicted 10 soldiers, awarded 4,000 USD to each assault victim and 51 cows to the family of the journalist, John Gatluak Manguet.