Kiir flees 30 political prisoners
South Sudan has released 30 political prisoners who had been detained for their support to Dr Riek Macher. In a statement read on South Sudan national broadcast (SSBC) the president made the announcement in releasing the political prisoners as a show of good will to encourage the opposition groups to take part in the National Dialogue. In March this year Salva Kiir promised to release some political prisoners when launched the National Dialogue. However the spokesperson of the president said this pardon does not apply to people like James Gatdet Dak who is the former spokesperson of Riek Macher whom the state accuse of committing crimes against the state.
A million South Sudan Refugees in Uganda
The United Nations says that refugees from South Sudan entering Uganda have reached one million. According to the refugee agency, an average of 1,800 South Sudanese has entered Uganda daily in the past year while another 1 million have moved into Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, the DRC and Central Africa Republic. The UN also said that it will need about $674 million to provide for the refugees this year. However UNHCR has only received 20 percent of this amount. Uganda government is currently struggling with the huge influx.
Rwanda peacekeepers will not secure Juba airport
The head of the UN Mission in South Sudan David Shearer has clarified that Rwanda Peace keepers who recently landed in the country will not take over security of the national airport. He said that control of the airport is the sovereign right and property of the government of South Sudan. The peacekeepers would
however be deployed along the highways that have seen many fatal ambushes. Some of them have already been deployed on the Nimule highway.
