By Yiep Joseph
Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), has called for an end to the extensive military protection of government officials.
In a statement issued to the media, Yakani asserted that many high-ranking officials continue to receive military support, which he believes contributes to ongoing instability in the country.
His comments came in response to the tensions between government forces and former spy chief Akol Koor, which escalated into military confrontations in Juba.
Yakani argued that numerous government officials-both military leaders and other privileged individuals-take advantage of their positions to deploy their relatives for personal protection, rather than serving the state’s interests.
He emphasized that such nepotism leads to a loyalty shift among military officers, creating allegiance to individuals instead of upholding the constitution.
Yakani urged the South Sudan government to reduce the heavy military guarding of officials in order to minimize unnecessary confrontations and foster a more stable environment.
“The practice of every leader having heavy soldiers and arms needs to be abolished immediately,” he said.
He expressed the need not to overarm politically motivated generals.
“Control of arms from the hands of politically motivated senior commanders should be taken seriously by the government,” he said.
“No political leader should be allowed to have a small company of well-armed soldiers in their respective houses,” he added.
He suggested the need for only police to protect the people and their property in the country.
“The police should take extra responsibility for protecting the properties of the civilians,” he said.
Yakani urged that South Sudanese political elites and senior security officers shun being more loyal to their grouping and ethnic lines than the nation.
He acknowledged government efforts to ensure stability after Thursday’s shooting.
“It is good that the president held a security meeting immediately after the incident and took responsibility for ensuring the safety of the former director general of NSS,” he said.
He blamed the lack of unification for continuous armed confrontations in the country.
“The relicense in the timely and genuine implementation of the R-ARCSS chapter two tasks now see what price the country is paying,” he said.
“The yesterday (Thursday) incident CEPO viewed it as it is a clear demonstration of lack of control for the security system, and secondly, it is a clear indicator of politicized security forces,” he added.