Photo grid of deformed babies in Ruweng Administrative Area. (Photo/Ayen Mijok/Facebook).

The government of oil-rich Ruweng Administrative Area says it has recorded three children born with deformities between January and April 2024 – in what it attributes to the impact of oil pollution.

Ruweng Health Minister Chol Simon expressed concerns on Wednesday after Panriang Referral Hospital recorded the cases of congenital malformation or birth defect.

Chol said the first case was in January – when a woman gave birth to a baby with intestines and other abdominal organs outside.

The minister said the second case, which occurred on Tuesday, was of deformed twins where the first born has an abnormally big head and stomach while the second born has no legs.

Minister Chol attributes the cases of birth defects to the poor oil extraction of crude oil in the local oil fields.

In an interview with Eye Radio from Ruweng administrative capital Panriang, Chol said all the deformed babies have not survived.

“I have a case of congenital defect birth in Panriang in the referral hospital. We had twins born but are dead, this is not the first case. In fact, this is the third case of this year.”

Minister Chol said the oil-producing has experienced increasingly alarming cases of birth defects in the recent years.

He said the cases of children being born with deformities are rampant in the area due to oil exploitation and exploration that does not meet international safety standard.

“We have had before a kid born without legs and there was another kid also born without anus, and then there was a kid born intestinal outside in January.”

“We had theses case of these two twins with one with no legs, you might have seen the photos on social media and then the other one with the big head, and big stomach and all of them were dead.”

“So, we are saying that it is the result of environmental pollution.”

He further calls for environmental audit and social awareness on the danger of petroleum chemicals among communities around the oil fields.    

“With the current oil production in the country does not meet a single international oil standard of exploration, and you will find everything is open and so there is a lot of pollution.”

“Unless they do something, this is going to be dangerous, not only for the population but the environment. I wish someone will go there and see for themselves.”

“You see the spilling of oil, the well are open, the lagoons that they have dug to hold this water are open, so everyone has access to it, so all of us are not safe in South Sudan.”

On her part, the First Deputy Speaker of the Council of States says the government should pay keen attention to what she terms as human catastrophe in Ruweng Administrative Area.

In a post on her Facebook page, Honorable Ayen Mijok Kiir says the government has an obligation to release the findings of the Environmental Audit launched two years ago.

“As the National Legislature is inaugurating its first parliamentary Session of 2024, the government should this time pay keen attention to the ongoing human catastrophe in Ruweng. Administrative Area,” she said.

“Today, just like few days ago and as it has been witnessed, a congenital malformed twin was born dead in Panrieng hospital. The government has an obligation to question the whereabouts of Environmental Audit Process that was launched two years ago by the ministry of Petroleum.”