By William Madouk
Diplomatic tension is seemingly escalating between South Sudan and Sudan following a call by South Sudan’s Foreign Minister, Ramadan Abdellah Goc, for a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) joint investigation into the recent killings of South Sudanese citizens.
During a UNSC meeting on strengthening African leadership in counter-terrorism and advancing sustainable peace and security, Minister Goc urged the council to support a joint investigation into the alleged killings.
“Act of terrorism has been a story of South Sudanese during the struggling days, but last week we have seen a live act of terrorism and inhuman killing of innocent South Sudanese in Sudan when the SAF and allied groups took over Madani,” he said.
“South Sudanese were brutally killed and we thank the African Union and Chairperson of East African Community, IGAD for their condemnation of what happened to our people,” he added.
He called upon the security council to join in a call for the investigation of the killing of South Sudanese in Sudan.
However, this did not sit well with his Sudanese counterpart, who criticized Ramadan for calling for UN and AU intervention to investigate the alleged execution of South Sudanese citizens by the Sudanese army.
Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Youssef Ahmed described the statements as unjustified and unacceptable.
He added that the statement was made at a time when retaliatory campaigns were carried out in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, and other areas against Sudanese nationals, including retributions, murders, assaults and property destruction.
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said the government has exercised self-control regarding the South Sudanese transgressions in observance of historical relations between the peoples of the two countries.
It said the involvements of the South Sudanese mercenaries in war alongside the RSF have been documented.
A week ago, SAF’s Assistant Commander in Chief General Yasir al-Atta assumed that the majority of mercenaries fighting alongside the RSF are South Sudanese, constituting 65%.
Sudan foreign affairs claimed that they had approached South Sudan top officials and brought the issue to their attention over the existence of South Sudanese in rebel group but to no avail “offered the RSF many services including medical treatment in its hospitals.”
This came after the graphic footage circulating online depicts defenceless South Sudanese being rounded up, brutalized, slaughtered and killed, allegedly by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which led to the killing of about 29.
That, however, prompted violent protests in some parts of South Sudan on Thursday night, it is reported there is looting and vandalism of shops and businesses perceived to belong to Sudanese traders.
The protest also allegedly led to the killing of at least 16 Sudanese nationals during violent protests including some South Sudanese nationals.
President Salva Kiir called for calm among citizens and urged the Sudanese government and conflicting parties to take responsibility for protecting civilians trapped in war zones.
“I feel your pain and disdain at the atrocities against our fellow citizens in Sudan….these heinous acts are unacceptable and are comparable only to terrorism in character,” he said.
“Let us protect their properties and businesses. We are hospitable people; it’s our duty to offer protection and support to Sudanese refugees who fled the war in Sudan. Let them find comfort around you,” he added.