Grounding airliners with forgery registrations and mechanical unworthiness does not only expose a rot in a system but more so, saves lives.

South Sudan has a record of loved ones lost to crashes from not airworthy planes hovering the country’s airspace and further losses need to be curtailed.

At least 36 people died in 2015 when a Soviet-made Antonov crashed just after takeoff in Juba. This was followed by another crash two years last where 37 people miraculously survived after their plane hit a fire truck on a runway in Wau before bursting into flames.

Nineteen people further perished in 2018 when a small passenger aircraft from Juba to Yirol crashed with a subsequence incident in August 2020 that claimed the lives of eight people and one sustained injury.

In March 2021, a plane, L-410, plane operated by South Supreme Airlines crashed while enroute to Juba from Uror County, killing all people aboard.

Lessons learnt of bitter experiences shouldn’t be repeated like tea parties thrown by friends to celebrate their successes, it’s an injury with scares that never heal.

A tale of a notorious terrorist, who, during Omer Al Bashir’s regime, manned hospital here in Juba, with a grave resultant effect on baby boys brought to the facility, could replicate, as human intents are hidden.

Allowing the questionable crafts to operate even for a single trip is like conniving to kill individuals who would unknowingly place their lives in the hands of unscrupulous institutions operating hideously.

UN officials, humanitarian agencies and officials of oil companies matter so greatly to the government and the people of South Sudan that their lives should never be to risk when danger lights are on.

Legal actions should be instituted against the airline companies as a deterrent for others who might develop such criminal intentions to operate in the county.

However, those that the government had entrusted to check the airworthiness of crafts and their entry into the business, similarly be probed, to prevent and alienate corruption tendencies. Corruption kills.