South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"

By Benjamin Takpiny
The Executive Director of the Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA), Ter Manyang Gatwech, has asked the government to ground all old small planes in order to prevent plane crashes in the future.
“Our stand as Center for Peace and Advocacy is that we urge the government of South Sudan to ground all old small planes in order to avoid plane crashes in the country. The government should follow the international standards on safety and regulation,” said Gatwech in an interview with The Dawn on Thursday.
Gatwech’s statement comes in the aftermath of the plane crash that killed 20 people on board on Wednesday near the Unity oil fields.
The plane was chartered by the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) and operated by Light Air Services Aviation Company.
Among the killed were South Sudanese, two Chinese nationals and one Indian
Gatwech urged the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) to summon the Director General of the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority and Minister of Transport to provide explanations on the past plane crashes in the country including the latest one.
He called on concerned authorities to come up with a clear coherent policy to manage and control the civil aviation sector in the country, while citing negligence for the rampant plane crashes.
“The small aircrafts operating in South Sudan are too old to be used safely in the country. The government of South Sudan, particularly the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority, must ensure quality assurance and safety for the South Sudanese people in the 21st century,” said Gatwech.
In addition, Gatwech joined voices calling for investigation into recent plane crash in Unity State, which killed oil engineers and technicians.
“The Director General of the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority and the Minister of Transport should be summoned by the national parliament to explain the recent plane crashes that have occurred over the past few years,” he said.
In February 2022, five people got injured when a cargo plane crashed while landing at Agok Airstrip in the Abyei Administrative Area disputed between the border of Sudan and South Sudan.
In 2018, 19 people were killed when a small aircraft carrying passengers from Juba to Yirol crashed.
In March 2020, a cargo plane crashed in the north-eastern Jonglei state, leaving 10 killed.
In addition, five people were killed in November 2021 when a cargo plane crashed in the Maban area of the Upper Nile state.