South Sudan lawmaker hopes Jonglei protests ‘not tribally motivated’

 JUBA – A South Sudan members of the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA) has question the ongoing protest in Jonglei state’s capital Bor, asking why the salary protest is not taking place in Juba where the money are kept and hopes that the protest ‘is not tribally motivated’.

In a brief social media statement, Reath Muoch Tang, a member of the national parliament representing the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny, acknowledged the right to protest, but questioned the one in Bor.

“What is happening in Jonglei state is the right of every citizen to ask from their government about their rights from the government that represents them, there is nothing wrong about that,” the lawmaker wrote in the brief social media statement following the protest.

“However, what puzzled me is that, why it is not happening in Juba, whereby all the money comes from? And why is it happening now only to the current Governor, while it did not happened to the previous Governors. I hope that this is not tribally motivated,” he added.

The protest begun after the Jonglei government decided to cut a small portion of the civil servant’s salary to cover the rising costs of the security in a state that has been rocked by a recent killing in which armed med from Greater Pibor Administrative Area attacked Baidit killing over 30 people.

The protesters took to the streets on Monday and the protest continued today where they overran the state governor’s office forcing security forces to evacuate the governor to a more secure place and later on responding to the protesters wounding at least 17 people, according to medics.

Earlier today, Jonglei state minister of information, Veronica William Deng, said the governor has been evacuated from his office because some pockets of the protesters are demanding to see the governor personally.

“They are demanding to see him personally which is dangerous because they are not peaceful and the government and the gallant security forces in the state have decided to move the governor to a safer place until this issue is resolved,” she said.

The senior state government official further stressed the need for a consensus to be reached between the civil servants and the state government saying the situation is tense and the state already troubled by the ongoing violence cannot stand another crisis.

“Now it is important for an understanding to be reached between the government here in Bor and the civil servants who are protesting against the government over salary,” the official said.

“The situation is tense and our state is in a problem of cattle raid and communal violence and it cannot stand this issue because the government is not being allowed to conduct its work,” she added.