Juba Deports 20 Foreigners, Including 4 Britons, for ‘Threatening National Security’

A general view of Juba. (Reuters file photo)
A general view of Juba. (Reuters file photo)
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Juba Deports 20 Foreigners, Including 4 Britons, for ‘Threatening National Security’

A general view of Juba. (Reuters file photo)
A general view of Juba. (Reuters file photo)

South Sudan’s Minister of Interior has ordered the deportation of 16 Kenyans and four British nationals on allegations of threatening national security.

The deportation order was announced by Juba City Council last Tuesday.

“There are four British nationals and 16 Kenyan nationals; they have been given 72 hours to pay all dues which they owe the government, and also pay our people their pensions…then leave the country,” the Council said.

All of the targeted foreigners work for a private security firm called Insight Security.

Meanwhile, South Sudan rebel groups that were not part of the September 2018 peace deal have formed a leadership council for the South Opposition Movements, with an aim of uniting the opposition under a "strong coalition" capable to oust the government of President Salva Kiir.

The new body was unveiled on Friday evening during a meeting in the Netherlands, attended by representatives of the South Sudan National Democratic Alliance (SSNDA), the Real Sudan People's Liberation Movement (R-SPLM), and South Sudan United Front/Army (SSUF/A).

In a Declaration of Principles issued following their meeting, the opposition movements agreed on a spirit of mutual understanding and respect, integrity and strong collaboration as a hallmark of working relationships amongst all our stakeholders.

Emmanuel Ajawin, secretary general of the opposition coalition South Sudan National Democratic Alliance (SSNDA), said Saturday: “The three leaders of the three opposition groups will work together to lead the new body."

Ajawin added that some components of the new coalition would continue the armed struggle against the South Sudanese government.

“We agreed that the current situation in South Sudan needs political solutions. Our position is that the military solution is not the only way for peace in our country,” he said.

Ajawin added that the possibility of negotiating with the government is there, “however, we have not yet discussed the issue extensively. We believe that any political problem needs to be solved through political means.”

The meeting on Friday was attended by leader of the National Salvation Front (NAS) ex-general Thomas Cirillo and rebel leader General Paul Malong.



Kurdish PKK Militants to Hand over First Weapons in Ceremony in Iraq

PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
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Kurdish PKK Militants to Hand over First Weapons in Ceremony in Iraq

PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)

Dozens of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants will hand over their weapons in a ceremony in northern Iraq on Friday, marking a symbolic but significant first step toward ending a decades-long insurgency with Türkiye.

The PKK, locked in conflict with the Turkish state and outlawed since 1984, decided in May to disband, disarm and end its armed struggle after a public call to do so from its long-imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, Reuters said.

After a series of failed peace efforts, the new initiative could pave the way for Ankara to end an insurgency that has killed over 40,000 people, burdened the economy and wrought deep social and political divisions in Türkiye and the wider region.

Around 40 PKK militants and one commander were expected to hand over their weapons at the ceremony in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, people familiar with the plan said. The PKK is based in northern Iraq after being pushed well beyond Türkiye’s frontier in recent years.

The arms are to be destroyed later in another ceremony attended by Turkish and Iraqi intelligence figures, officials of Iraq's Kurdistan regional government, and senior members of Türkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM party - which also played a key role in facilitating the PKK's disarmament decision.

The PKK, DEM and Ocalan have all called on Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's government to address Kurdish political demands. In a rare online video published on Wednesday, Ocalan also urged Türkiye's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage the broader peace process.

Ankara has taken steps toward forming the commission, while the DEM and Ocalan have said that legal assurances and certain mechanisms were needed to smooth the PKK's transition into democratic politics.

Erdogan has said his government would not allow any attempts to sabotage the disarmament process, adding he would give people "historic good news".

Omer Celik, a spokesman for Erdogan's AK Party, said the disarmament process should not be allowed to drag on longer than a few months to avoid it becoming subject to provocations.