Government officials in Western Bahr el Ghazal State have diverted two Non-governmental organizations (NGO) donated vehicles intended to support health and relief institutions to private use at their residences.
The diversion comes after the State Deputy Governor, Zakaria Joseph Garang, ordered the withdrawal of five cars donated by Johanniter International Assistance to Western Bahr el Ghazal through the State Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC).
“I hereby authorizing the NSS [National Security Service] authority to withdraw the five cars donated by Johanniter Assistance International to the state government via RRC state office before any allocation to the various government institutions and report them to Council of Ministers WBGS/Wau with immediate effect,” Partly reads an order addressed to the State Director of National Security Service on August 26th 2024.
A day later, deputy Governor Zakaria directed the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission to avail details of each donated cars to his office.
“You [are] hereby directed to prepare a written details of the cars donated by the Johanniter Assistance International to the state government through your office, report yourself to my office with immediate effect of receiving this letter.” Zakaria stated in a written notice dated August 27th 2024.
NGO donations
In July 2024, Johanniter International Assistance, a German’s charity, handed over five vehicles to the State Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare and to the State Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, and Forestry.
Other institutions that received the vehicles included the State Ministry of Health, RRC, and the Directorate of Public Utilities to support their operations.
However, upon an order from the deputy governor for the distribution modality to be discussed by the State Council of Ministers, two of the donated vehicles were taken to provide services at the residences of former Governor Sarah Cleto and Deputy Governor Zakaria Joseph Garang, according to the state RRC official.
Barsham Musa Ayaka, Chairperson of the RRC says that only three out of the five donated vehicles have been returned to the rightful institutions.
“They returned those of Ministry of Agriculture, Gender and WASH,” Ayaka discloses, adding that the diversion of other two vehicles has affected the State Relief and Rehabilitation Commission ability to assess the needs of over half a million population of Western Bahr el Ghazal State.
“I am not happy. The decision to take away these vehicles is an abuse of power. I have nothing to do because these are my bosses and this is what they have decided,” Ayaka elaborates.
He explains that the vehicles would have been of a great help in facilitating the movement of his staff to monitor the humanitarian activities and assess the needs of the local population.
The South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission with branches at the state and county levels, operates under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.
It is mandated to address the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan and work closely with related institutions and aid agencies in overseeing disaster response efforts, managing relief distribution, and supporting recovery initiatives for affected communities.
Johanniter International Assistance says it handed over the in-kind donation to support the State Relief and Rehabilitation Commission.
“Johanniter International Assistance herewith hands over to the State Relief and Rehabilitation Commission one motor vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser Hardtop, that it received as a donation from GIZ on October 01, 2018, to support operations of its projects in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal,” Partly reads the handover document.
See here the complete Handing over notice from Johanniter International Assistance
The vehicle intended for the State RRC is a white land-cruiser hardtop with chassis number JTERB71J800062890, engine number 1HZ-0613161 and bearing a registration number NGO 151 29 SSD.
Johanniter International Assistance has been active in South Sudan since 2012. Their activities focus on health, food security, livelihoods, nutrition, protection, and WASH (water, hygiene, and sanitation).
They are active in Wau, located in Western Bahr el Ghazal State in the western part of the country, and in Torit, Eastern Equatoria State, in the south near the border with Uganda.
Over the past years, Johanniter International Assistance has built maternity wards at primary health facilities and trained village health workers to provide health care services to children under five years of age in Wau.
Dr. Francis Michael, Western Bahr el Ghazal State Minister of Health, says although his ministry has only two vehicles on the road, he had to abide by the directives and hand back the donated vehicle to the Council of Ministers.
“We received a letter from the council of Ministers that they need those vehicles. All the vehicles were taken to the council of Ministers that is what I know, and they are there until now,” Dr. Micheal says.
When contacted, the State Minister of Information Nicola Samuel declined to comment on the matter.
Western Bahr el Ghazal State, located in the northwestern part of South Sudan, has Wau as its capital. Known for its diverse ethnic groups, it features a rich cultural heritage, agricultural potential, and vast forests.
It also borders Sudan to the north, the Central African Republic to the west, and neighboring South Sudanese states, including Warrap, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Lakes, and Western Equatoria.
This story was produced by a South Sudanese journalist, who declined to be named for security reasons, in collaboration with InfoNile.
