George Price poses for a photo after speaking to the press at the SPLM Offices in Juba [©Gurtong]
By Waakhe Simon Wudu
JUBA, 31st January 2012 [Gurtong] - A South Sudanese student, Mr. George Price studying Information at the University of Bahari in Khartoum has revealed shocking testimony about Khartoum’s mistreatment on South Sudanese students still living there.
George Price who was speaking in a press conference hosted by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, (SPLM) in Juba last Saturday said South Sudanese are silently being arrested by the Khartoum government and recruited into militias and trained different forms of rebel activities.
“The National Congress Party (NCP) – (Sudanese ruling party) government in Khartoum through militia groups is forcefully recruiting South Sudanese nationals and taking them to either Southern Kordofan or Southern Blue Nile for military training and use these forces to fight its senseless war,” George said.
“Besides the military training, the captives are also being trained to be suicide bombers who will target senior government officials and South Sudan Missions abroad,” the statement added.
Mr. George said they were arrested last week Monday (23/1/2012) eight in number after boarding a taxi. They were all South Sudanese students studying in Bahari University. Of the eight only four students managed to escape and the other four he believed were then taken to militia training grounds either in Blue Nile or Southern Kordofan.
He said they escaped after being detained in ghost prisons of Patiab, Khartoum Bhari and Medani.
“I want to tell the government of South Sudan that things are hard for South Sudanese still in Khartoum. Because of fears, my colleagues in Khartoum cannot study,” George said.
Meanwhile the SPLM has condemned Khartoum’s inhuman behaviour. “These are all attempts to make South Sudan a failed State,” said Bol Makueng, SPLM Secretary for Information and Communication.
Bol pointed out that, “SPLM condemns the ‘war monger’ attitude of the NCP and forced recruitment of South Sudanese nationals in Khartoum. We call upon the International Human Rights Organizations to investigate these NCP’s horrendous crimes against South Sudanese nationals and NCP must be penalized for the theft of the South Sudan oil.”
At least 700,000 South Sudanese are still in Khartoum according to latest government reports. Meanwhile, Bol said that, the government of South Sudan has since 2010 intensified transportation of South Sudanese in Khartoum back home as one move to address the discrimination there.
However, its also due to lack of funds and infrastructure that scare South Sudanese in Khartoum to come home other than transportation.