By Philip Buda Ladu
The Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) has summoned eight national ministers and relevant authorities to answer questions on the security and territorial sovereignty of South Sudan.
This decision comes in response to lawmakers’ concerns over escalating border encroachments, insecurity, and killings.
During Tuesday’s assembly sitting (No. 41/2024), two MPs presented urgent motions highlighting public security issues.
As a result, the assembly resolved to call upon over six national ministers and three state governors to appear before the house for questioning.
Hon. Oreste Lopara Simon, an MP representing Budi County in Eastern Equatoria State, introduced the first motion addressing matter of public safety following the deaths of twelve South Sudanese citizens at the hands of Ugandan Wildlife Warders.
The incident occurred on July 20, 2024, in Budi County, where two additional individuals were reported wounded.
Lopara stressed that the tragic event is not isolated, noting that South Sudanese citizens have repeatedly faced threats and violence from Ugandan armed forces in Budi and Ikwotos Counties without any accountability or response from state and national governments.
Another lawmaker, Hon. Bol Joseph Agau, representing Yirol West County also presented a similar motion of an urgent matter of public concern on insecurity and continued border encroachments, particularly from the east and southern border territories of South Sudan, neighboring Uganda and Kenya.
Hon. Bol tabled his two-in-one motion on a matter of urgent public importance concerning the encroachment of Uganda and Kenya into the border territories of the Republic of South Sudan and rampant killing and shooting in different parts of Juba City.
He highlighted that in February 2024, the Toposa and Nyangatom nationalities of the Republic of South Sudan fought the Kenya Defense Forces in defense of the South Sudan territory and peacefully demonstrated to alert the government about the forceful occupation of the Elemi Triangle, which was unlawfully occupied by the Kenya armed forces, and establish their administrative areas.
Bol observed that the current situation is violent occupation as the communities face daily insecurity caused by a more superior army armed with modern armory compared to the armless Toposa and other bordering communities.
Furthermore, on another front, local authorities in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State, have reported significant encroachment by the Ugandan People’s Defense Forces (UPDF). The situation has alarmed local residents and raised serious concerns about Juba’s silence.
Also, local authorities in Kajo-Keji County, Central Equatoria State, addressed a letter on 29 August 2024 to the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) military intelligence unit reporting serious intrusion into the border territories of South Sudan by the UPDF.
This report comes against the backdrop of the Ugandan army’s reported presence in Raja County of Western Bahr el Ghazal State, in which media reports later stated that the UPDF, SSPDF, and C.A.R. armed forces teamed up to launch a joint attack against the Lord Resistance Army (LRA).
Both movers of the motions put across some recommendations for the house to adopt, but most interestingly was the unified urge to summon the security-related heads of institutions to appear before the MPs to answer some crucial questions on the security matters raised.
Following the submission of the two motions, Hon. Stephen Ajongo, MP representing Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, moved a motion to the house to suspend any debate on the two matters of public concern and endorsed the summons of the ministers and other concerned officials to appear at the house.
“The whole two motions request the ministers concerned to attend the debate with us because the motion is clear; to make the work easy for us, why don’t we invite the ministers concerned to come so that we discuss with them and pass very good resolutions?” Ajong submitted.
He emphasized that if they discuss the motions without the presence of the concerned ministers, they will not get the way forward.
After some amendments to the motions, the majority house adopted the motions and the Rt. Hon. Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba ruled that the house summon the ministers to come and answer burning questions on the security matters during deliberation of the motions.
The ministers to be summoned are: minister of national security, minister of foreign affairs, minister of defense, minister of interior, minister of wildlife service, minister of East African Community Affairs, and minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management.
Furthermore, three governors were added to the ministers’ list, including the governors of Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria, and Western Bahr el Ghazal States, respectively.
Additionally, the committee on international border dispute settlement and demarcation was also included among the officials to appear before lawmakers.
It will however take administrative procedures and time to serve these aforementioned officials with the summons letters, and their appearance will be determined in due course of time.