CEPO calls for ‘comprehensive’ nation-wide disarmament before elections

JUBA, AUGUST 16, 2023 (SUDANS POST) – A South Sudan civil society watchdog has called for a comprehensive nation-wide disarmament campaign before the country’s would-be general elections slated for December 2024.

In a statement extended to Sudans Post, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) welcomed the successful disarmament of the civilian population in Terekeka county of Central Equatoria state.

The civil society organization however called on the government to make the disarmament process comprehensive before elections to avoid conflicts.

“We are afraid that this recent promise [by the presidency to begin the redeployment of the first graduated unified forces] may not hold water like the numerous previous promises,” he said.

“The regular excuse of the government that the speedy and genuine implementation of the transitional security arrangements is delayed due to an arms embargo that made the government unable to buy arms for equipping the first graduated unified forces for redeployment is answered by this single disarmament of the civil population in Terekeka county,” he added.

Yakani said that if a comprehensive civil disarmament is carried out across the country, it is possible that the government can collect enough arms for equipping forces that lack arms for redeployment.

He also said that the presidency has the primary responsibility to ensure that the comprehensive civil disarmament is carried out in a peaceful and nonviolent manner.

“The failure of genuine implementation for R-ARCSS chapters will be a direct responsibility of the presidency,” Yakani said. “The presidency has a high deficit in trust and confidence for general elections.”

The SSPDF’s assistant chief of staff for operations, Gen. Thoi Chany, told Radio Tamazuj yesterday that the army has collected about 4,000 illegal arms from civilians in Central Equatoria State’s Terekeka County in an ongoing peaceful disarmament campaign.

Chany said that the disarmament campaign is part of the government’s efforts to reduce intercommunal conflicts.