South Sudanese General Paul Malong Awan is seeking political asylum in Uganda. Malong wrote to international agencies in the South Sudanese Capital Juba requesting to be allowed to move with his bodyguards to a refugee camp in Uganda.No agency has responded yet.
Malong’s woes come from a rift between him and South Sudanese president Salva Kiir, who has ordered for the disarming of his guards. The order from Kiir issued recently states that Malong should be left with only three guards to keep him at his current premises.
The refusal by Malong to disarm has led to a standoff between his guards and government soldiers, who have surrounded his home a few metres away from the president’s residence at J1 in Juba.
A security official in the South Sudanese capital told this newspaper that Malong remains a security threat. “Several forces loyal to the former Chief of General Staff remain alert to launch a rebellion on Juba. They are waiting for him to either order them to or to join them. We are not about to allow such a thing to happen under our noses. We shall keep him under surveillance for the security of the country”.
Malong has been under siege since he attempted to flee the capital. His loyalists are camped in his home town of Aweil and are reportedly preparing for war.
