Over 20 Citizens Killed in Sudan
New Vision (Kampala)
NEWS
12 September 2007
Posted to the web 13 September 2007
By Charles Bwogi
Kampala
OVER 20 Ugandans have reportedly lost their lives in South Sudan since the start of this year, the chairman of the Ugandan community in Southern Sudan Yasin Mugisha has said.
Mugisha, speaking at a press conference in Kampala yesterday, said that the Ugandans had been killed in various incidents, some involving trade disagreements with the Sudanese. There were also scores locked up in prisons in Juba.
Mugisha complained that Ugandan traders may be forced to close shop in South Sudan if they are not given protection.
Last week, the vice chairman of the Ugandan community in Southern Sudan, Nicholas Tony Makuyi, was murdered by a Sudanese policeman in Juba as he tried to intervene and save a Ugandan youth from being beaten up by the police.
Other Ugandans killed, according to Mugisha, include Shamim, a hotel worker, Issa Kizito from Masaka, Jackson Mafabi from Mbale, Mike Angume from Atiak, Isaac Kajura from Kabarole and Scovia Namubiru from Lukaaya.
Mugisha asserted that many Ugandans cannot get justice because of the language barrier. "Arabic the official language used in their courts of law is not understood by most Ugandans" Mugisha said.
There was also a perception that Ugandan traders were merely there to exploit the situation.
"We expressed our concerns even before the murder of our vice chairman and nothing was done," Mugisha said.
"Ugandan traders have also reported cases of rape, robbery, loss of property and harassment at the hands of the armed forces but nothing has been done," said Silver Okello, the secretary general of the Ugandan traders in South Sudan.
He also complained that Ugandans were made to pay twice for visas, once in Kampala and once in Juba.
But an official at the Ugandan Consulate in Juba, Habib Migadde, said it was not the Government of South Sudan harassing and killing people but just a few armed elements.
"Even the local people complain of harassment" Migadde said. He blamed the general indiscipline and lawlessness because the demobilization exercise of former fighters had not been fully accomplished.
He said the Consulate had warned Ugandan traders against getting visas from Kampala.
"We told traders and travelers to South Sudan that only ministry of internal affairs officials at Nimule border post have the authority to issue visas," he said.