Ending rampant communal violence before elections should be top priority

In most parts of the country inter-communal violence continues to claim countless lives and causing destruction of property.

Many people in the knowledge of this have blamed the transitional national unity government for not speeding up the process of graduating and unifying forces.

The few forces that have been deployed to some parts of the country are proven unable to confront the problem.

For example, in Nasir in Upper Nile State armed youth have been engaged recently in battles with soldiers.

It’s such incidents that demonstrate the weakness or absence of the state apparatus in some parts of the country.

Communal violence represents the worst security threat to the social fabric of this country, as we prepare for the upcoming elections.

One wonders how the electoral process will be carried out if some areas of the country are insecure.

It means even electoral officials could come under attack at any time from armed civilians probably disillusioned with the process.