Kiir, Machar urged to convene as Upper Nile violence escalates to Jonglei

JUBA – South Sudan civil society watchdog, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) has appealed to President Salva Kiir Mayardit and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny to convene a presidency meeting amid escalation of Upper Nile violence into neighboring Jonglei.

This comes after the commissioner of Fangak County said in a statement that thousands of forces belonging to Agwelek under General Johnson Olony Thabo have left heading to Fangak and Pigi County and have been allowed free passed via Malakal town.

In a statement extended to Sudans Post this morning, CEPO said it is disturbed by the reported movement of Agwelek forces towards Jonglei State and called on the presidency to convene an emergency meeting over the violence.

“CEPO is disturbed with the least negative development in some parts of Upper Nile state where the Agwelek forces are observed moving towards launching attacks. Already serious public alert is raised by Fangak county commissioner Hon. Boutros Biel. If this early warning alert raised the Fangak County is truth than it is a threat to the fate of the R-ARCSS,” he said.

“The presidency should intervene immediately on this negative development growing in some parts of Upper Nile state through the movement of the Agwelek forces and others,” Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization said.

Yakani further called on peace monitoring “CTSAMVM should urgently investigate and issue an alert if the current negative developments in some parts of Upper Nile state are accurate per the coming out from the communities and the local authorities.”

“Including disturbing information in some parts of Jonglei state around Ayod and Nyirol counties. The region of upper Nile is slowly unfolding into mixed of armed intra and inter communal violence including growing proxy war,” he stressed.

The civil society organization further expressed fears “that the negative developments in some parts of upper Nile region will undermine the transitional security arrangements enshrined in the R-ARCSS” and called on the presidency “to commission urgent meeting on these negative developments.”