By Ijoo Bosco
A civil society group in Eastern Equatoria State has expressed concerns over control of political and civil space in South Sudan ahead of December 2024 general elections.
Addressing a group of state civil societies organization on Thursday, the executive director of Peace Link Foundation, Charles Okullo Cypriano, appealed to the revitalized government to open political and civic space.
During the meeting, they reviewed reports of civil society activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and politicians who were held in Juba.
Mr. Okullo Cyprino stressed that, if civic spaces are closed it will be very difficult for them to pass out information to the common citizens in the ground.
“Our civic space needs to be open because the moment you close a civic space now it will be very difficult for us to pass out information to the common citizens,” he said.
“We are appealing to the government at all levels from national, state and counties and payam levels let them be such tolerance that they welcome every idea that comes from the revitalise peace agreement of course we the civil society must operate within the law we must not operate outside the law,” stated Okullo.
He acknowledged the forthcoming election plan for December citing that, all the civil society organisations have tabled their recommendation to the government,
Okullo noted that they have urged the parties to the peace agreement to use dialogue amongst themselves for the parties to agree in principle for the December 2024 election.
“Our recommendation is not a force our recommendation is the idea of the citizens across the country as we have seen there is a kind of a conflict among the parties,” he added.
“We need a dialogue to happen among themselves so that they agree together for this upcoming election and then when the election comes that election should be free and fair credible and peaceful that doesn’t take us back to war,” he added.
The forum also highlighted the key resolution reached amongst the members of civil societies drawn from all the ten states of South Sudan and the administrative areas,
Over thirty civil society organisations activists and journalists attended the one-day review of Juba civil society, activists and politicians held in town at the end of last month.