The warring factions in South Sudan that have been in conflict since the aftermath of the independence of the youngest African nation have taken the conflict to another level by engaging into a propaganda war by accusing one another of subversion against neighboring countries.
James Morgan, ambassador of South Sudan to Ethiopia, has dismissed latest reports of diplomatic row between Ethiopia and South Sudan following President Salva Kiir’s visit to Egypt and series of agreements signed between the two countries.
The president met his counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo earlier this month. Following the event, backlashes have been reverberating to the point where rumors circulated claiming that a diplomatic row broke out between the two countries and that ambassador Morgan have been expelled from Ethiopia.
Denouncing the reports as falsehood and fake, the ambassador actively reacted to throttle one of the alleged news reports. Media reports claimed that Kiir has pledged to provide harbor to insurgency forces from Ethiopia in exchange for diplomatic and financial support from Egypt. Egypt has an axe to grind in connection to the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), report claimed and using South Sudan to achieve that goal.
Furthermore, more recent media reports have indicated that a top government official in the South Sudanese government has made statements about Ethiopia and its obligation to consult and sought permission from Egypt prior to the constructing of the GERD on the River Nile.
Nyamilepedia, a South Sudanese online media outlet quoted Peter Garang Malual, advisor to the Minister of Water and Irrigation in South Sudan, making the above statements which the ambassador dismissed as unfound.
“Well to be honest, the blame lays squarely on them ‘Ethiopians’; they rushed to build the dam without consultation or approval from Egypt, that is unacceptable in international diplomacy,” Peter Garang, was quoted as saying. “Our President told the Egyptians that we are ready to stand with them against any threat from Ethiopia, the region or even beyond, we cannot compromise on such issues of close relations”.
Asked by The Reporter about the issue, Morgan adamantly downplayed the news as a fabrication of sympathizers of Riek Machar (PhD), the former First Vice President of South Sudan and leader of SPLA-IO. Morgan argued that such rumors started to circulate especially following the refusal of Machar to come into Ethiopia. He recalled that Ethiopia has hosted the rebel leader for two years. Since then, groups disappointed by the measures taken by Ethiopia have targeted good relationship between South Sudan and Ethiopia, the ambassador said.
According to Morgan, there is no such government post as advisor to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation. The person in question as well is not in the government business. Yet, The Reporter could not verify the ambassador’s claims independently. But, claims and counterclaims have continued to reinforce tensions between the government and the rebelling groups in South Sudan. The Government of Ethiopia has not reacted to the allegations, so far.
