By Yiep Joseph
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Lt. General Abraham Manyuat, has urged police personnel to remain neutral and refrain from engaging in politics.
He made this statement while addressing participants at the ceremony to rehabilitate and inaugurate new Border Police offices.
Manyuat emphasized that police officers must be nonpartisan and should not be members or supporters of any political parties.
He warned that, similar to practices in other parts of the world, any officer found guilty of political involvement would face serious consequences, including dismissal from service.
“We will dismiss any police officer involved in politics and suspend their promotion,” Manyuat stated.
The IGP outlined additional punitive measures that could include suspension or final dismissal from the police force.
Despite clear laws guiding the conduct of police services, Manyuat noted that some officials still attempt to engage in politics, which is strictly prohibited.
He urged such officials to respect the law and to uphold the integrity of those who abide by it.
Last year, the leadership of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) issued a stern warning to military officers from the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), urging them to avoid political activities.
Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, the SSPDF spokesperson, revealed that the SSPDF had received reports of SSOA officers awaiting the second phase of military unification participating in political affairs.
The SSOA is part of the transitional government established under the 2018 power-sharing agreement.
In January 2022, President Salva Kiir Mayardit issued an Order prohibiting all active officers, non-commissioned officers (NCOs), and members of the SSPDF from engaging in political activities.
The Republican order banned all active members of the SSPDF and other organized forces from participating in politics or leading community organizations.
The Order also prohibited military officers from involvement in youth and women’s organizations and from spreading hate speech on social media.
It ordered all active officers and NCOs involved in such activities to cease immediately and focus on their constitutional mandates.
“The Commands of the Army and all other Regular Forces, including the National Security Service, are hereby ordered to enforce this order by ensuring that any officer or NCO involved in the aforementioned unlawful activities refrains from doing so with immediate effect,” the order read.
Kiir warned that “any officer or NCO who fails to adhere to this order shall be investigated by the relevant authority and punished in accordance with the law.”