Watchdog warns South Sudan leaders of international isolation after fresh British sanctions

JUBA – A South Sudan civil society organization has issued a fresh warning that the country’s leaders are facing inevitable international isolation, unless they repent, just a day after the British government imposed new targeted sanctions on two senior local government officials it accused of human rights violations during this year’s violence in southern Unity State.

The British government on Friday afternoon sanctioned Koch County Commissioner Koang Biel (better known as Koang Nyaluargo), and Mayendit County Commissioner Gatluak Nyang, accusing the two officials of bearing primary responsibility in the displacement, raping and killing of civilians in Leer County of Unity State between February and May this year.

They are accused of “commanding government-aligned militias/groups to carry out attacks in southern Unity State between February and May 2022, mobilizing them to rape, abduct and kill civilians, loot civilian and humanitarian properties, cause forceful displacement of civilians, and use civilians as forced labour.”

The sanctions, among others, include asset freeze.

In a statement extended to Sudans Post, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) urged South Sudan leaders to abstain from actions that amount to violation of international humanitarian law and urged the leaders to exercise their responsibility of protecting civilians.

“The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization is urging our leaders to abstains from carrying out senseless violence that normally constitute gross human rights violation, because it has negative implications in relation to the principle of responsibility to protect civil population from all forms of actions that are inhuman and degrading as enshrined in our constitution bill of rights, Africa Union chart for People and Human Rights and United Nations Declaration of Human Rights,” CEPO said.

“Any of these legal instruments can be used for demanding justice and accountability at any level that take responsibility to exercises the human society principle of responsibility to protect civil population and it is hailed,” it added.

Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization further urged South Sudanese leaders to repent from violent acts in order to avoid further international sanctions such as asset freeze travel ban and isolation.

“To avoid further negative implications imposed on our political leaders like what now the government of Britain did for the Koch County Commissioner and Mayendit County Commissioner following the occurrence of inhuman and deadly violations in parts of Unity State is better to avoid embracing inhuman and deadly violence for resolving political difference,” Yakani said.

“The leadership of the country should always be pro-active in holding perpetrators of gross human rights violation accountable as a strategy of reduce imposing of sanctions,” he continued.

“The ongoing gross human rights violations are just created by individuals who failed to use dialogue for resolving political grievance and individuals who believe on waging proxy war as strategy of accessing political leadership seats. This bad and it is tarnishing the image of our country and the leadership. Time has come for political grievance or aspiration to be mitigate through non-violent approach such as use of dialogue,” he stressed

CEPO further urged “our political leaders to exercise constitutional governance principles where fully and effective commitment for the upholding the bill of right and other existing law.”