By Bida Elly David
The director of security segment at the Juba City council has warned Islamic Council amid using security forces in the market to threaten traders and urged them to refrain with immediate effect before the situation jeopardizes.
Speaking to the Media yesterday, Brig. George Lado Albano, the director for security at the Juba City Council said that the Islamic Council on the 12th -10-2022 assembled in Konyo-Konyo market alongside security forces from integrated unit to threaten traders who were peacefully running their businesses.
“I can’t speak politics here but about the forces deployed in the market. I have a red line. No forces from anywhere should come and declare the market closed” said Brig. Lado.
“Konyo-Konyo market is a red line because it accommodates people from all the ten states. And anyone having case should not use the market. He should go and open a civil case. Anyone who intends to close any trading shop in the market should first process a letter of permission from the city council because we have forces here for the implementation of arrest warrant, not everyone should claim closure of market,” he warned.
Brig. Lado said that deployment of security forces in the market would cause high security threats that would interrupt commercial services to the people and even awake strike that would result into injuries.
He slammed the Islamic Council being a religious entity for using security forces as a way to claim their rights instead of legal approach as well as assembled to evict people who serve the nation through businesses.
“There are external forces in the market being used as security by Islamic Council to claim chances of collecting money from traders,” he noted.
“They are supposed to come to me in the city council for us to deliberate on matters concerned rather than closing shops. On the 12th -10-2022, the Islamic council gathered together to close the market. When we reached there, we found that they never closed the market but used security forces” he continued.
“In the market there is the national security, police, military intelligence who were used by the council in different ways to threaten traders” he added.
Brig. Lado said he once told his colleagues that in case they have anything in the market, they should go to him at the city council for consultation.
He suggested that using the military to claim rights would not be an amicable solution to problems rather a way to intensify ahead the grudges and called on all the forces from all units to distance themselves from the battle between the City council and the Islamic council.
He added that they shouldn’t make any attempt or any mistake to close shops.
He finally called on all security organs from all the divisions to assemble on Monday for a meeting at the city council on an agenda that would be elaborated upon.