By Bida Elly David
President Salva Kiir Mayardit has warned citizens and holdout groups against random highway attacks on traders and civilians urging them to work towards peace and vowed to open more roads to promote national and international trade.
This development came during the launching of Terkeka-Rumbek highway that annexes the Bahr el Ghazal region to the capital of Juba.
Speaking during the event, President Salva Kiir Mayardit, said that roads are constructed in order to facilitate trade and free movement of people from one state to another but not for attacks and robbery.
He stressed that his government would invest much efforts to ensure that infrastructures of all kinds especially roads are improved in the Country to promote economic activities and development of the nation.
President Kiir warned citizens against tribalism and inter-communal conflict that trigger death and hatred pointing that people should live in harmony and embrace peace and income generating activities.
In the same development, he underscored that those who work against the Country’s progress should refrain from their acts and start working towards improving the infrastructure of the Country for their own good and the nation.
President Kiir encouraged citizens to use roads for the transportation of commercial goods and passengers but not for waging attacks and killing people from different tribes saying all tribes are equal.
“Our citizens need services and these services will not reach them without roads. If roads are going to be constructed across the Country, you citizens should ensure that no body is killed without reason because we are one people with national focus,” he said.
Kiir echoed the need for armed groups and hold-out group to trash the tendency of threatening and killing of road engineers at the course of duty.
“Armed groups of any kind should stop attacking or killing road workers who focus on the establishment of our roads. These engineers perform their work without intention of harming or threatening anybody rather working towards improving our roads in the Country. We need our roads in good shapes to facilitate movement of goods and services to our people across the Country,” he said.
He called on the citizens to also focus much in farming activities to restore the crippled food insecurity and bring back the recessed economy.
“The government is for everybody, there is no need for us to fight again. You are all my people and since you are my people, we all need to join hands in improving all our sectors especially roads that connect us to other countries and our states within. We need to promote business and trade to boost our economy,” he said.
He finally cautioned people who instigate tribal wars and division that results into hate speech saying that the government would not tolerate such acts.