JUBA – South Sudan’s Council of States on Wednesday formed a committee to study a report on the effects of oil spills in Ruweng Administrative Area (RAA).
This came after the RAA Chief Administrator, Stephano Wieu de Mialek presented a report to lawmakers on the alarming oil spills and the increasing rate of child deformities.
“After closure of Yaar, the IDPS were relocated to Miadiing (Lalob) which to us, was a better strategy for mitigating further violence,” Mialek explained.
“What we considered a better response to the reality of climate change and the devastating floods with all the induced effects on our population from Unity State, turned out to be a strategy for settlement and occupation,” he added.
The official expressed concerns over the renaming of some areas in Ruweng. He cited areas like Miadiing, renamed ‘Rotriak’, Wanhdanluel changed to ‘Kuerboni’ or ‘Dual-Jaang’ and Panakuch is now ‘Panyagai.’
The area administrator also raised concern over children born with deformities.
“As I alluded to earlier, the future of the Ruweng people and that of other South Sudanese settling in RAA is threatened by oil spills and environmental pollution,” said Mialek, adding that, “As I delver this statement to this August House, the frequency of cases of children born with deformities is alarming.”
He said the area Health ministry had recorded five cases of deformed children this year.
Lawmakers attending the session presided over by the Upper House speaker, Deng Deng Akoon thanked the RAA chief administrator for his presentation.
A seven-member committee was thus formed to study the document presented and report back to the Council of States within 14 days.
Okello Odongsto, the acting chairperson of information and members affairs in the Council of States said the Upper House formed an ad hoc committee that will report back to the assembly for deliberation.
He added that the House will come up with a way forward after studying the recommendations.
