Governor Tong Aken claims Abraham Awolich is hiding at US embassy in Juba

JUBA – The governor of South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal state Tong Aken Ngor has claimed without evidence that activist Abraham Awolich, is hiding at the United States embassy in South Sudan’s capital Juba saying he has been planning the protests along with his colleagues from the United States mission’s headquarters in Juba.

Abraham Awolich is a prominent activist who co-founded in early August the civil rights movement, People’s Coalition for Civil Actions (PCCA) with the aim of removing President Salva Kiir Mayardit from power along with his first deputy Dr. Riek Machar Teny, saying the two are behind the immense suffering the people of South Sudan are facing.

“These people are planning the protests from abroad; they don’t have presence here in the country. One of them is in jail, two of them are on the run and one in the person of Abraham Awolich, is hiding at the American embassy in South Sudan, so, there are no chances that the protests will be organized by people who are abroad,” he claimed.

The governor made the remarks during a mini rally in Aweil town on Thursday in which he also said the detention of former Northern Bahr el Ghazal state governor-turned activist, Kuel Aguer Kuel, was justified as the governor has made it clear, according to him, that he is against the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit.

“Kuel Aguer was asked if he signed the document that call for uprising and he accepted. Kuel was also asked if the voice aired on the media was for him, he again accepted. He was again asked why he is doing this, he replied, ‘I don’t want this government’. So he was kept in the place where people are questioned for these issues,” he said.

The governor went on to deride Kuel saying “Kuel has one time led Northern Bahr el Ghazal state as governor in the same government that he is seeking to remove from power today.”