Warrap governor threatens to use force to disarm civilians

JUBA – The governor of South Sudan’s Warrap state, General Aleu Ayieny Aleu, has urged the civil population in his state to voluntarily surrender their guns to the government or face forceful disarmament drive.

Aleu said the army will forcibly disarm those who might ignore the call to surrender their guns under the voluntary disarmament program in the state.

“Probably the army is going to remove those guns by force if they can’t bring them peacefully,” Aleu told reporters during a press conference organized at his residence in J-1 upon arrival from his medical trip to Egypt on Monday.

Recently, local authorities in Warrap collected more than 5,000 guns during peaceful disarmament in Tonj Counties.

Aleu said collection of firearms from the hands of civilians will help reduce persistent inter-communal fighting and cattle raiding in the area.

“Those who are still refusing to hand over the guns will do it whether they like it or not. There are those who think guns are everything to them especially the cattle rusting youth, those who go and snatch cows of other people, it will not be easy for them to give up guns,” Aleu said.

The governor renewed the call for voluntary surrendering of guns to authorities in a bid to curb insecurity.

This call came following last week’s killing of 18 soldiers and seven civilians during a cattle raid in Warrap state.

The incident occurred as a result of a “misunderstanding” when soldiers tried to recover stolen cows from the youth, authorities said.

In August 2020, 148 civilians including soldiers were killed during a disarmament exercise that led to violent clashes between armed youth from the cattle camp and SSPDF officers.

The clash erupted in Romic area in Tonj East in northern Warrap state when soldiers beat up a youth wearing a red scarf on his head, angering his colleagues who later on started exchanging gunfire with the soldiers.