![South Sudan's First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny addressing a meeting of the SPLM-IO National Liberation Council in Juba in late 2019 [Photo via Facebook]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sudanspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/69879144_670724086781633_5300899394646704128_n.jpg?ssl=1)
This is after the growing calls for the government of President Salva Kiir Mayardit to carry out disarmament against civilians who are killing each other on communal and tribal lines in several parts of the country.
Speaking during the launch Leadership Retreat for the State Ministers of Peace Building and state chairpersons of peace commissions in Juba on Tuesday, Machar expressed fears that any attempt to disarmament civilians by force will lead the country to another crisis.
“If you do it [disarmament] by force, you will create more violence; it needs persuasion. “Our first challenge is, how do we persuade our population to give up ownership of arms in the state?” Machar said, as quoted by Eye Radio.
President Salva Kiir had stated in July that the solution will be to buy arms from civilians saying: “The only way to get them out is buying off from them – that is to tell a person that ‘If you give us your guns, you will be given this.”
Most of the cattle keepers are not willing to sell their guns and they don’t care about money to exchange with guns. What will be the solution if they don’t want to give up for their guns? If the youths are still carrying Ak-47 then, the country will be lawless and killing will continue
You cannot compromise the law. If the law illegalize arms in the hand civilians then any civilian having a gun is a criminal and he should face law and the consequences of breaking that law. The law applies equal to a farmer or cattle keeper.