Elites competing for power around Kiir, Machar engineers of Upper Nile violence – Yakani

JUBA – South Sudan’s prominent activist Edmund Yakani has said that the ongoing violence in Upper Nile state in which civilians are the most victims is being designed and engineered by those he referred to as competing politicians around the country’s top two leaders, President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar.

This comes after military forces allied to General Johnson Olony Thabo attacked civilians in Ayod County of Jonglei State, days after the commissioner of Fangak County said Agwelek forces of Gen. Olony were being allowed by the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) to cross the Nile to attack northern Jonglei.

In a statement, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) condemned the violence and termed it a proxy war it said is being sponsored by influential elements within the transitional government in Juba, Malakal and Jonglei.

“CEPO condemns the ongoing deadly and inhuman violence in some parts of Upper Nile state and CEPO considers it as an absolute proxy war funded by elements who are influential in the country and outside of the country,” the statement said.

“This proxy war in some parts of Upper Nile State is contributing serious to perpetuation of crimes against humanity. The ongoing violence in some parts of Upper Nile State are by designed and engineered by the obvious competing actors in the country,” the statement added.

Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of CEPO, said the violence in the oil-rich state is deadly and is being financed by political elites in the world’s youngest country and called on the presidency to take step to end the suffering of the civil population in Upper Nile by stopping the violence.

“The ongoing violence in some parts of Upper Nile State is deadly and inhuman and are financed by some political elites in the country. The only required intervention for the stoppage of the violence is through presidency decisions. The individuals who are fueling the ongoing deadly and inhuman violence are close characters to the leadership in the presidency,” the prominent activist charged.

“The crimes against humanity in some parts of Upper Nile state is totally demonstration of the acts of those who don’t want to see peace prevailing among our communities or citizens,” he added, before charging that “starvation and denial of access to humanitarian services are used as weapons of war.”