Civil society group launches violence prevention following deadly raids

JUBA – After fatal raids in the Eastern Equatoria State of South Sudan, the civil rights group communal Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) is launching a violence prevention program to reduce violence and address communal conflict triggers.

The campaign is in response to recent violence in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State, where attacks on cattle herders who have been embroiled in tension with local farmers have resulted in over 40 fatalities and several injuries.

Speaking to Sudans Post on Tuesday, CEPO’s executive director, Edmund Yakani said the initiative will engage communities in finding amicable and durable solutions to their problems.

“This initiative will be people-to-people centred intervention that seeks to attain concrete durable solutions where community rights are highly placed at the centre of the solutions for nurturing nonviolent way of people living together,” he said.

He said that political meddling would not be permitted and that the program will be guided by the communities in their best interests.

“This initiative will seek funding for ensuring that durable solutions are reached by the communities in the best interest of the communities, where prevention of deadly violence is highly prioritised. It will be free from politics intervention and purely community driven initiative for nonviolent mitigation of occupied deadly violence,” he stressed.

According to him, in order to ensure the initiative’s success and achieve the desired outcomes, the program will involve a number of partners and community actors.

South Sudan, currently implementing a peace agreement that ended a civil war that killed more than 400,000 people and displaced millions after erupting in 2013, is considered one of the most violent countries in the world according to reports.