Leek community in Egypt condemns “forceful” relocation of Rubkona county headquarters to Kaljak Payam

CAIRO, EGYPT – South Sudan’s Leek Community Association in Egypt has, in a statement on Saturday, condemned plans by Unity state government to relocate Rubkona county headquarters from Pakur, where they are located currently, to Kaljak Payam.

Last week, a senior Unity state government official told Sudans Post that the state government was in consultation with the community of Rubkona for a proposal to have the county headquarters relocated to Kaljak.

The plan sparked controversy on social media with prominent members of the Leek community urging the government in Juba to block what they calls an “unjust” initiative that comes at the wrong time and was being conducted unilaterally.

“This statement is meant to clearly proclaim our position as Leek Community living in Cairo henceforth to condemn in strongest term possible the inappropriate, unjust and forceful relocation of Leek county headquarters to Kaljak Payam as ordered and orchestrated by Unity State Governor, Joseph Nguen Manytuil,” the Leek community statement signed by the community’s chairman, Kom Simon Manyrop, and the organization’s secretary-general, Nhial Yap reads in part.

The statement accused the Unity state governor, Joseph Nguen Manytuil, of forcing the relocation upon state government officials from Rubkona, putting aside necessary consultations with the community concerned and which are always needed for such relocations.

“The relocation of the County headquarters to Kaljak is a direct order from the incumbent governor of Unity State, Joseph Nguen Manytuil and to him it has to be executed without any consultation or acceptance from the host community and expect no objection from anyone since he is used to ill-treat its people with impunity,” the statement dated September 12 and extended to Sudans Post said.

“The governor using the state powers directly and cunningly mobilized few of his loyalist individuals to corroborate his relocation proposal in order to hide behind the truth that he is actually the very man in the core plot to move the Leek general headquarters to a place of his choice caring less of weather its people liked it or not,” the statement added.

The statement went on to further label accusations against the governor saying he had, during the civil war, used military power to vandalize the area which has resulted in the flight of community members to UN protection of civilians’ camps.

“Nguen himself incognito plotted for the relocation of the county headquarters because he feels insecure especially in recalling his actions against the civil population of Rubkona during the conflict in which Leek villages were ransacked and set ablaze, boys castrated, young girls molested, women killed and raped and cattle, goats, sheep driven away by his private militias with him in full and direct command,” the statement said.

It added that “the people of this land feel suspicious that the governor wants to move the county headquarter into the interior of the land in order to pave way for his collaborators to encroach in to Leek lands and take it as their own and by this he would have achieved his mission to have assisted the land grabbers to grab Rubkona land with ease.”

“Above all Nguen is using his position to threaten and seek cooperation before the formation of states government so that whoever seems to cooperate with him receives his blessing and a possible appointment to his due government or face axe failure to comply with his treacherous proposal. This is an absolute abuse of power that stands to be challenged whatsoever.

“With the above mentioned undisputed facts we are therefore releasing this statement to the public and to the Revitalized government of national unity presenting our indefinite rejection to this wicked project being played by Maverick Nguen Manytuil with his cohorts in a clear message that Nguen’s impugn decision of relocating Rubkona headquarters without the concern of its rightful owners will miserably be foiled because this move is even not right in the first place but Nguen has gravely revealed himself as the number one enemy to the people of Rubkona county by further pushing this innocent community to their limit of impatience as if what he did to us in the past was not enough.

“Mr. Nguen’s hatred towards the people of Rubkona is so clear, that he continue to put salt and into the littering wounds of Leek at a time when the healing was just about to begin. It’s not too late though to remind the government of National unity that:

“Currently there is no government at the state level to propose and implement such a big move when states governments are not yet formed so, where does Nguen get this mandate to transfer a county headquarter.

“The small Leek community groups that he has mobilized comprising of some few youths and elders all happened to be his employees and in-laws hence cannot qualify to determine the fate of a sub- clan leave alone the whole county.

“Unity state is at the process of reconciliation and healing stages, but the governor by this action is laying down barriers to jeopardize this sniff of harmony that our people were trying to rebuild amongst themselves brought about by the peace signed between the government of South Sudan and the warring parties to conclude 2013 conflict.

“We therefore appeal to the government of South Sudan to stop Governor Dr. Nguen from provoking the Leek community by forcefully moving the county headquarters from Rubkona town to Kaljak until its people think it’s the right time to do.”