JUBA, SEPTEMBER 8, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – President Salva Kiir has appointed Ramadan Mohamed Abdallah Goc as the new deputy foreign minister.

The announcement was made in a presidential decree read out on the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) on Thursday.

Goc is a young SPLM cadre who has served in a number of positions in the ruling party.

He was the secretary of information of the SPLM party after South Sudan’s independence in 2011.

He also served as the secretary for training, research and planning at the SPLM northern sector secretariat before South Sudan’s independence from Sudan.

Goc is currently a lecturer at Bahr el Ghazal University. He is a graduate of the University of Khartoum and the University of Juba.

Goc’s appointment is seen as a move by President Kiir to reward a loyal SPLM cadre. It is also seen as a way to bring in new blood to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Goc’s predecessor, Deng Dau Deng, was removed from his position as deputy foreign minister last week by President Kiir. The reasons for Deng’s removal are not clear.

The appointment of Goc is the latest in a series of changes that President Kiir has made to his government in recent months. The changes are seen as an attempt by Kiir to consolidate his power and to appease his allies in the SPLM party.

The revitalized peace agreement, which was signed in 2018, stipulates that the SPLM party is to select the deputy foreign minister.

Goc’s appointment is likely to be welcomed by the SPLM party.

He is a young and relatively unknown figure, which could make him more acceptable to the party’s base.

He is also a graduate of two prestigious universities, which could give him the credibility to be an effective diplomat.

However, Goc’s lack of experience in foreign affairs could be a liability. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a complex and demanding institution, and Goc will need to quickly learn the ropes if he is to be successful in his new role. - Sudans Post

The Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rejected US sanctions Thursday that were imposed on its leader Abdel-Rahim Dagalo during the war which has continued for almost five months.

The armed group described the sanctions for human rights abuses and atrocities as selective, unfair and based on false information. It accused Washington of blinding eyes from violations committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) during the war, including airstrikes.

The RSF warned that the US move against the group would reflect negatively on roles by Washington to mediate an end to the war.

“RSF is welcoming any efforts to stop the war, through addressing its root causes which will lead to the stabilization of the political troubles and the war,” it said. 

The US imposed sanctions Wednesday on paramilitary commander Abdel-Rahim, who is the brother of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), for acts of violence, “including the massacre of civilians, ethnic killings, and use of sexual violence.”

The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said: “Both sides have failed to implement a ceasefire, and the RSF and allied militias have been credibly accused of extensive human rights abuses in Darfur and elsewhere,” since the war started in April. Yeni Safak

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has detailed how a Kenyan registered investment firm fleeced over 5,000 investors of their hard-earned cash in a well-choreographed scheme.

The DCI disclosed on Thursday that NMK Capital Investment Limited, masquerading as a legitimate investment entity, lured thousands of unsuspecting investors into a deceptive web, where they ultimately lost their hard-earned money.

The agency said the suspicious company believed to have been registered in the country in 2021 has seven directors, among them one Ngugi Mucheru Keeru (NMK) whom authorities identified as the sole Director and Signatory of a sister company; Bidsworth Autorents Capital Limited.

The DCI’s Serious Crime Unit said that it had received numerous complaints from victims who ventured into the scheme, laying claims that nothing is left of their thousands and millions of investment after the directors fell out and the key suspect, Keeru went into hiding.

 “In the streetwise machinations, over 5,000 investors were hoodwinked to enter into a 6 months contract with NMK with a minimum investment of Sh50,000,” the DCI said while explaining the modus operandi of the scheme.

“This would accrue a redeemable monthly interest of 15 per cent, or a similar percentage of compounded interest redeemable at the end of the contract period (6 months).”

Additionally, the company ventured into car hire services, leasing vehicles from unsuspecting members of the public and then renting them out to individuals and agencies.

Car owners reportedly received only 30 per cent of the proceeds from the company.

 The scheme also extended into off-plan property investments.

The DCI cautioned the public against engaging in any business with the two companies noting that its detectives are currently investigating them.

The agency advised Kenyans to exercise caution and due diligence before engaging in any such fraudulent ventures. By Bruhan Makong, Capital News