Activist urges president Kiir to address the nation over communal violence

The Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) has asked President Salva Kiir Mayardit to address the nation regarding the recent report by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), highlighting the surge in the number of victims of communal violence in 2024.

By Benjamin Takpiny

The Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) has asked President Salva Kiir Mayardit to address the nation regarding the recent report by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), highlighting the surge in the number of victims of communal violence in 2024.

UNMISS report titled ‘Communal Violence Continues to Exact a Heavy Toll on Civilians’, noted a 24 percent increase in the number of victims from 641 to 792, despite a four per cent decrease in violent incidents from 215 to 206 compared to the same reporting period in 2023.

The report that documented incidents between July and September 2024, said that while the number of civilians killed reduced by seven percent from 321 to 299, injury statistics rose by 34 percent from 231 to 310 during the reporting period.

“There is no moral justification for the RTGoNU’s silence on the confirmed UNMISS report. As a result, the RTGoNU cannot propose any solutions for protecting its citizens,” said CPA’s Executive Director, Ter Manyang Gatwech in a statement on Tuesday.

Gatwech said they are deeply concerned about the RTGoNU’s silence which continues its usual activities as if nothing is happening in the country, adding that such actions undermine public confidence in the government, leaving citizens to feel as though there is no one to protect them.

 “In the common law tradition, legal protection encompasses both the acknowledgment of fundamental rights and the government’s responsibility to enforce these rights. A key example of this is the government’s duty to protect citizens from violence, whether it originates from within the country or from external sources,” he said.

The report particularly, raised concerns on the steep increase of abductions and Conflict Related Sexual Violence in comparison to the same timeframe in 2023, adding that abductions rose by 132 percent from 65 to 151 and the latter by 33 percent from 24 to 32.

 Gatwech emphasized that the governments needs to ensure that existing laws conform to international human rights standards to effectively protect individuals from abuse, violence, and crime.

He urged the government to strengthen institutions to bolster human rights frameworks and institutions to reduce the risk of violations.

“Governments should proactively promote human rights principles and support initiatives designed to prevent abuses,” said Gatwech.

In addition, he called for establishing justice mechanisms that ensure equal access to justice for all individuals.

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