Ex-prisoners' group urges interim set up in South Sudan

JUBA, South Sudan (AA) - A group of former political prisoners have called for the formation of a transitional government to end the ongoing political crisis in war-torn South Sudan.

The group includes former leaders of the current ruling party in South Sudan who were accused of complicity in a coup attempt; they were imprisoned in December 2013, but were later released. They are currently based in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

"In order to get out of the current crisis, we need to set up a transitional administration whose mission and prerogatives will be determined at a congress," the group said in a statement on Friday.

This administration will be composed of technocrats and politicians. It will lead the country for the next three-to-five years, the statement said.

They also suggested a meeting abroad with experts on the crisis in South Sudan until the situation in the country becomes conducive to holding a congress on the conflict.

"This congress will have to take place in the capital Juba after the deployment of international forces as planned by the Security Council last August. This will prepare the ground for a transparent dialogue, away from fear and threats,” the statement added.

All political components of the country must be present, but also the regional and international partners of South Sudan, such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union and the UN.

Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday said 8,000 South Sudanese fled to Uganda last week due to clashes between the government and the armed opposition.

In the statement, the UN body said some also fled to neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. "Their villages of origin have been burnt down, and their young people have been abducted to be imprisoned and tortured," UNHCR said.

South Sudan’s civil war has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and forced three million people from their homes since December 2013 in one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.