Governor Emmanuel Adil with Martine Elia in Lanya County in a recent tour in the state - credit: CES Governor Press Unity

Families of the bodyguards of the Governor of the Central Equatoria State who were killed along Juba-Yei road have appealed to the state government for financial assistance.

The two bodyguards, Emmanuel Taban Francis and Sayid Ramadan Ali were killed while escorting Governor Emmanuel Adil Anthony to Yei town last month.

They were part of the advance team of the Governor.

According to the state government those killed include two National Security Service personnel, and two police officers.

The two died when the governor convoy was attacked in Ganji Payam shortly after leaving Juba for Yei.

Jackson Francis, the brother of the late Emmanuel Taban Francis, says his brother left behind a pregnant wife and a four year-old child, while the other deceased officer left a wife with a child.

Since the incident, the families say the office of governor promised to organize a funeral rites.

Now, more than a month has passed, and the state government has not looked into the matter.

Francis disclosed to Eye Radio that the National Security headquarters have contributed 2 hundred thousand South Sudanese pounds for his brother’s funeral rites.

He says on Sunday, the families visited the house of the governor but were unable to meet him.

Francis added that his brother died in the frontline while on duty and deserved a state respect.

“We decided as the two families of deceased officers and came to the house of the governor and sat down but we were told that he is still sleeping,” Francis said.

“We requested the governor to pay tribute to his bodyguards who died, but he did not come. He did not send a delegate to follow the funeral procedures from the beginning up to the end.”

“We conducted the funeral rites prayers from our budget, not the government budget. If someone died as a martyr is it the family to conduct the funeral, or the government?”

Asunta Michael , the mother of one of the late bodyguards, Said Ramadan Ali says since her son died on duty it is the responsibility of the government to conduct his funeral.

“I wanted to ask him [Governor] since he told us that they will conduct the last funeral rites, but they did not show up. My son died as a martyr, he left a mother with one child, so what is going to be done for them, and what about me, the mother of the deceased?” She said.

“In the past, if a soldier dies on duty, the army will provide for him a piece of land, and all needs for his burial as a martyr, but now I don’t know how this government runs so these are the things that pain us.”

Derick Derickson, the Press Secretary of the governor, told Eye Radio that he is not aware of families visiting governor’s resident in Juba.

However, he says he believes the governor stood with the families during the funeral.

“We are not aware of this team, the family coming to the house of the governor seeking support following the loss of their dear ones. The leadership is not aware,” Derick said.

“I strongly believe that when this incident happened, the governor and his team sat down and stood in solidarity with the family of these fallen soldiers that we lost while they were on duty.”

South Sudan has no clear policy of paying soldiers killed on duty.

The SSPDF pay the salary of the martyr’s soldier to the family for a period of six months.