title: South Sudan Supreme Court judge quits citing lack of independence
text: JUBA (Reuters) - A judge of South Sudan s Supreme Court resigned on Tuesday, saying a lack of independence from the executive had turned the judiciary into a  mockery  and complaining of poor working conditions. All of South Sudan s judges went on a five-month strike in May over poor pay, raising the risk of impunity in a country already convulsed by criminality and war. South Sudan, the world s youngest country, descended into civil war in 2013 after President Salva Kiir fired his deputy, unleashing a conflict that has spawned a patchwork of armed factions.  The independence of the judiciary, in the Republic of South Sudan, has become a mockery,  Kukurlopita Marino Pitia, a Supreme Court judge, said in his resignation letter.  The war in South Sudan cannot be used as an excuse to interfere and silence and silence the judiciary,  Pitia said, adding that the judiciary was expected to protect many rights that are jeopardized by conflict. Government officials were not available immediately for  comment on his letter. The conflict in South Sudan has slashed oil revenues and paralyzed agriculture, spurring hyperinflation that has rendered many civil servants  salaries almost worthless. Arop Malueth, secretary for the steering committee for Judges and the Justice Union, told Reuters that two more judges from the lower courts had also resigned.  Many of us feel that the judiciary is not independent as it should be,  Malueth said, adding that some judges had been dismissed unconstitutionally, at the behest of the executive. EX-ARMY CHIEF Separately, the government said on Tuesday the former chief of the army, General Paul Malong, would be allowed to leave the country, six months after placing him under house arrest in the capital following a falling out with President Kiir. Kiir s spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told UN radio in South Sudan that Malong was free to go to any country for medical treatment  on grounds of humanity . Malong led the army s war effort against rebels from 2014 but Kiir sacked him in May and placed him under house arrest. Earlier this month, Kiir sent troops to disarm Malong s bodyguards at his house in Juba, but they refused. Kiir s troops then surrounded Malong s house, sparking fears of clashes, before withdrawing a week later. Malong is under U.S. sanctions and has been accused, along with Kiir, by a U.N. panel of experts of leading troops who murdered and raped civilians during the civil war.(This version of the story was refiled to correct reporter s name in signoff) 