Wounded war heroes to drag finance minister to court for defamation

The wounded war heroes of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) who sustained injuries during Wednesday’s confrontation with military police officers at the ministry of finance and planning are threatening to sue the Dr. Baak Barnaba Chol, the minister of finance.
Wounded war heroes in South Sudan.

By Awan Achiek

The wounded war heroes of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) who sustained injuries during Wednesday’s confrontation with military police officers at the ministry of finance and planning are threatening to sue the Dr. Baak Barnaba Chol, the minister of finance.

 They said that the ministry of finance and planning defamed them, after it alleged that they were not genuine wounded war heroes when they marched to the ministry’s premises in Juba to demand for payment of their medical benefits.

Gismo Nyuach Ezekiel, Representative of the Directorate for Wounded, Disabled Heroes and Old Age Affairs of the Ministry of Defense and Veteran Affairs on Friday told minister Bak to return their missing limbs they lost while defending the cause of the government, adding that they will sue the minister for portraying them as frauds.

“If we are self-proclaimed in this nation, we are asking our MPs to look into this matter, otherwise, the minister for finance should return missing parts of our bodies individually, and if not we face him in court for calling us self-proclaimed heroes,”  Nyuach told The Dawn.

Nyuach said their blood cemented the national foundation which paved the way for the country’s independence in 2011.

“We as wounded heroes are therefore, asking our government and SPLM who took us to liberate this nation to give us clear answers, if we are self-proclaimed wounded heroes as said by the minister of finance,” he said.

He also refuted the claim that they were protesting against the government.

“We hereby condemn the rumours circulating on social media that we the wounded heroes protested against the government, it is a lie, we were claiming our medical benefits from the ministry of finance and planning,” Nyuach said.

The clashes which took place at the national ministry of finance and planning left 17 people including veterans and police officers injured.

 “This morning, an unfortunate incident occurred at the premises of the ministry of finance and planning, involving a group of self-proclaimed wounded heroes. These individuals forcefully entered the ministry’s premises demanding payment for their medical benefits,” said the ministry of finance in a statement.

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