By Philip Buda Ladu
United People’s Alliance (UPA) has condemned the transitional unity government’s recent statement profiling and categorizing some of the counties inhabited by a certain community in Upper Nile as a “hostile”.
In a press statement released on Friday by UPA Spokesperson Lual Dau, the alliance of holdout opposition parties described the government’s pronouncement as “hate speech and a perpetration of genocide.”
The transitional government of national unity identified Nasir and Ulang counties in Upper Nile state, Akobo, Nyirol, Uror, Pangak, and Ayod counties in Jonglei state, and Rubkona County in Unity state as “hostile Nuer counties.”
The UPA leadership expressed deep concern over the “high level of dangerous hate speech” emanating from the government, warning that it further polarizes and divides South Sudanese along tribal and regional lines.
In its statement, UPA asserted that this rhetoric creates an “us” versus “them or other” mentality, specifically intended to target the people of the Upper Nile region.
Furthermore, the UPA views this profiling as a continuation of the “collective punishment scheme” previously implemented in Nasir, Ulang, and other parts of Upper Nile.
The UPA also cast doubt on the sincerity of the “Nuer leadership Forum Executive Committee, The Nuer SPLM Leadership, and the Nuer SPLM Members of Parliament” who recently condemned the government’s press briefing.
The UPA statement highlighted the alleged silence of these same leaders during the collective punishment of the people in Upper Nile, where citizens were reportedly subjected to bombardment with chemical weapons.
The UPA spokesperson labeled these leaders as “opportunists” who “chose to turn their backs when their voices could have made a difference.”
UPA emphasized the urgent need for unity among South Sudanese, stating that “the time for division is over.”
While acknowledging that the nation’s unity is in jeopardy, the alliance urged citizens not to succumb to divisive schemes.
“This country belongs to all, and requires our collective efforts, beyond ethnicity, gender, and party affiliations, to succeed,” the statement concluded.
The UPA’s strong words add to the growing concerns surrounding the escalating tensions and divisive rhetoric in South Sudan.
On Thursday the Nuer community leadership in Juba demanded for the dismissal or resignation of Cabinet Affairs Minister Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, accusing him of “incitement” and “genocidal profiling” after he described some areas as “hostile” to the government.
The argument stemmed from a government position paper read by Dr. Lomuro on Saturday, in which he classified several counties as either “friendly” or “hostile” based on their perceived loyalty to the Kiir administration.