South Sudan presidency calls corruption report “a recipe for regime change”. “Don’t expect the president’s family to rent a house in a slum in Nairobi”

South Sudan’s presidency has accused the makers of a corruption report that fingered President Salva Kiir for involvement in graft of attempting to overthrow the government. The report by the Sentry, a US-based watchdog group co-founded by Hollywood actor George Clooney and former U.S. State Department official John Prendergast, laid bare how Kiir, former Vice President Riek Machar and several high ranking generals in South Sudan’s army are involved in looting the war-ravaged country of its resources for personal gain.

According to The National Courier, a South Sudanese news outlet, Ateny Wek, a spokesman for the presidential office said the Sentry report is a part of a scheme to defame Kiir so as to facilitate regime change in Africa’s youngest state:

“The Sentry report is a political report because it contains a lot of nonsensical conclusions about the corruption in South Sudan, and it can only be used as a recipe for regime change for those who are running behind to change the regime,” he said.

J1: Office of the President says Clooney's report is a piece of Hollywood theatre full of lies. #SouthSudan… https://t.co/2EUIukXTdD

— The National Courier (@Nation_Courier) September 13, 2016

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The 66-page Sentry report also revealed how Kiir and Machar’s families were living in palatial homes, a stone’s throw away from each other, in an exclusive Nairobi suburb while a bloody civil war raged back home. The presidential spokesman said he saw nothing wrong with this arguing that the president and vice-president shouldn’t be expected to live beneath their status:

“The family should not be expected to rent a house in a slum area in Nairobi,” said Kiir’s spokesman, adding,“the family of a vice president should live in a secure place [too]” he added.

According to The Courier, Kiir is contemplating taking legal against the makers of the report in the US.

Little sympathy  

If the reaction of the US State Department to the Sentry’s corruption report is any sign, Kiir is unlikely to get any sympathy if he turns to the US to clear his name. The State Department on Wednesday issued a pointed statement endorsing the Sentry report and calling out the South Sudanese leaders adversely mentioned in it for failing their country.

Press Statement by the U.S. Department of State on the recently released The Sentry's Report on Corruption in… https://t.co/e2sfIYva2g

— Hakim Monykuer Awuok (@Hakimdit) September 14, 2016

The press statement issued by deputy department spokesperson Mark C. Toner said the corrupt dealings of the South Sudanese officials were especially appalling given the dire need that so many of the young nation’s citizens find themselves in.

“While corruption is harmful in any part of the world, it is especially appalling in a country on the verge of famine and struggling to build a government after only five years of independence,” the statement read.

“We and other partners have consistently made clear to South Sudanese leaders that they must implement reforms to fight corruption and increase the transparency of public finances, as part of implementing the peace agreement.”

“The family should not be expected to rent a house in a slum area in Nairobi,” said Kiir’s spokesman

The State Department, however, emphasised that it was still commitment to the South Sudanese people even though its leaders had failed to live up to the promise of the young nation:

“The United States remains a friend of the people of South Sudan and we are deeply disappointed that their leaders, given the opportunity to build a successful country at independence and a second chance to harness peace for progress with the August 2015 peace agreement, have failed to put aside personal power struggles and individual enrichment for the good of their people.”

Not thoruogh enough 

Though the US has endorsed the Sentry report, the reaction among ordinary citizens in South Sudan can be summed up in four words: “give us more names”. Sure, people are angry about the rampant corruption revealed in the report, but they also think it is a lot worse than it depicts.

As The Courier itself notes:

“The reaction on social media was that the report was good but it left out many people perceived to be corrupt. Many people complained of the fact that other than, Kiir and Riek and their families none of the other cronies, G10 or former governors were exposed,” explains the popular news outlet.

Many South Sudanese social media users agree with this analysis. Some, like Facebook user Muorkech Achol, even go further and accuse the Sentry report of outright partisanship.

“That was shallow and partisan report. We need a well articulated one. Otherwise, thieves with a lot money are more than those mentioned. Looting started ten years ago not in 2013,’ Muorkech wrote.