JOURNALIST, ISAAC VUNI AND HIS BROTHER, KIDNAPPED AT GUN POINT FROM THE COMFORT OF THEIR HOME.
Nimule, June 8, 2016; Isaac Vuni, a well known South Sudanese journalist who vigorously champion the cause of the SPLA during the war of Liberation through his patriotic writings, along with one of his younger brother, Andruga, were snatched from the safety of their homes by unknown gunmen on Saturday night, 4 June 2016. According an eye witness, the two brothers were resting at home in their family house at Borongole located approximately 3km from Kerepi trading Center, Pageri County, Eastern Equatoria State.
There was nothing suspicious and the two brothers are peaceful and have no enemies with their neighbors or in the community at large. An eye witness who spoke to South Sudan Liberty News said in the late evening hours, when some gunmen dressed in military uniform, came and snatched the two brothers and took them to unknown location.
The witness, a woman, who was at home where the two brothers were kidnapped, said the gunmen wore military uniform, the kind that is often worn by the tiger soldiers, who are stationed in the nearby Nyongwa village. There is no apparent reason by the armed men who were speaking in Juba Arabic with Dinka accents to rob these citizens of their freedoms. The younger brother of kidnapped journalist Isaac Vuni was left at home in state of shock and scared to speak and have no recollections of the offenders as he was in a different room.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for this unlawful action of abducting unarmed citizens, and there is no word of condemnation or statement coming from the office of Emilio Igga, the chief administrator (commissioner designate) for Pageri County. This crime is a stern reminder to the people of Borongole and Equatorian at large, that while the government of national unity has been signed, peace is still elusive dream for the people in greater Equatoria. They have isolated and are snatching our people one by one.
South Sudan National Security Service [SSNSS] has bad record of kidnapping or killing of reporters whose views and opinions are quite different to that of the government. South Sudan ranked poorly at the top by the report of international committee to protect journalist. In 2014-2016 there were more journalists assassinated or killed in South Sudan than anywhere else beside Syria. The worse killing was that of Journalist Moi Peter Julius whose assassination shocked the national and international observers; Moi Peter was followed and gunned to death closed to his house in the national Capital Juba. His killing was one of the high profile killing that shocked the nation after the murdered of opinion writer Isaac Abraham, fellow Dinka killed by Dinka president Salva Kiir.
Isaac Vuni has had death threat on his life before by the state security, we at SSLN would like to challenge the government of Salva Kiir to stop extra judiciary and unlawful targeted killing of journalists. Journalists are neither enemies nor politicians; they are mere messengers. In Equatorian culture you are not supposed to kill a messenger because he is just a messenger. We therefore call on the President to release Isaac Vuni and his brother without harm and if he did not order for such arrest then he must publicly punished such criminal in Uniform who are ruing this country. At this time were the goal is to bring calm to our country there is no need to repress we the messengers or any citizen of any walk of life for that matter.
Evil is Evil is said or not, so by silencing Journalist the evil that now has a chocking hold of our country is not going to go away, if the Journalists speak or not. The problem is not those of us who speak and write but rather those who act the evil we write about.
Andrew Olweny
SSLN
Nimule, RoSS
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