Disarmament should continue in sensitive conflict areas across South Sudan.
This is meant to reduce intercommunal violence or wars that occur heavily and are a result of long periods of endurance, such as economic hardship.
Intercommunal violence is facilitated by politicians who hold positions within the government and have the financial resources to maintain their power. This issue affects not only Warrap State but also other conflict areas.
The violence can be associated with host communities (cattle keepers) who play their games under the guise of abducting children and cattle raiding to accomplish their missions. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure these communities are taken care of before they harm innocent civilians. In Warrap State, most of the youth are well-armed; they kill civilians in large numbers and abduct children and women. The death rates each year is high, and many are killed without a clear understanding of the situation.
In South Sudan today, intercommunal attacks are politicized in a way that an uninformed person may not understand. The youth used by politicians often do not realize the impact of the interests of those who manipulate them. In every state, there is a governor, commissioner, mayor, and chiefs appointed to attend to the citizens’ needs.
For the development of this country and to establish stable peace, the government needs to completely disarm all cattle raiders and civilians in the states. This will help prevent incidents of killing and abduction. Guns should be collected and stored by the government to avoid the issue of an arms embargo, which would aid in building the national army and facilitate the unification of forces under one command. This would mark a significant achievement in implementing peace and help reduce cases of abduction, killing, and sexual harassment of children and women across the country.
Armed youth should stop abducting children and women and killing innocent civilians. Currently, it is not only the youth but also rebels, government soldiers, and opposition groups (unknown gunmen) involved in these acts. Otherwise, the government should be held accountable for all actions in the country for not taking serious measures. Human rights organizations should take this issue seriously, as the power of guns in the hands of civilians can lead to abuses such as land grabbing and targeted killings.
I urge the national government and the international peace monitors operating in South Sudan to ensure that weapons reduction is fully implemented to avoid conflicts and unnecessary killings across the country. This situation has become unbearable, and we cannot tolerate it any longer. Those responsible for these acts must be held accountable for all crimes.
God Protect South Sudan.
Be the spectator