The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) has welcomed President Salva Kiir’s promise to take tough action on individuals inciting sub-national violence across the country.
President Kiir said these remarks in his New Year’s address to the nation on 31st January 2022.
“Community Empowerment for Progress Organization strongly welcomes the position of the president for holding accountablesome of the political, and military leaders behind the deadly and inhuman violence across the country,” it said in a statement issued on Monday In Juba.
On December 24th, deadly violence erupted between armed youth from Greater Jonglei State and Murle youth in Lanam and Gumruk areas of Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA).
The violence left more than 57 civilians killed and more than 42,000 mostly women and children displaced from their homes.
Prior to the violence, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) had issued security alert on December 21stwarning of clandestine mobilization of Lou-Nuer youth from Greater Jonglei State to attack GPAA.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of CEPO said the President should direct the relevant public institutions to translate his words into action because this is not the first time for the public to hear such directives.
“For instance the directives of the President through the
“This Presidential order N.27/2021 was violated during the TwicMayardit violence, the violence in Eastern Equatoria State between pastoralists and farmers, Upper Nile State violence; Gumuruk violence and Mangalla violence among others. It is high time for the President to instruct relevant institutions to take responsibility of executing such directives,” he disclosed.
The Presidential Republican Order N0. 27/2021 dated 31 December 2021 prohibits all active officers and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) in the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), and all other regular forces from participating in politics, leadership of respective communities, youth or women organizations, the promotion of propaganda and hate speeches on social media platforms.
“It is time to name and punish some traditional and spiritual leaders that are fueling deadly and inhuman violence more than the political elites and uniformed personnel, these traditional and spiritual leaders should be held accountable for their inhuman acts too,” said Yakani.
CEPO called upon the President to put a system in place for punishing individuals fueling the deadly and inhuman violence in the communities.
“The economic damage caused by these continuous deadly and inhuman violence is bigger and pushing the society to the brink of poverty. The absence of functional rule of law contributes heavily for the occurrence of the deadly and inhuman violence,” said Yakani.
