South Sudan peace activist says diaspora fueling violence

JUBA – South Sudan’s prominent activist Edmund Yakani has warned that the country’s diaspora is increasingly involved in fueling the ongoing violence amid displacement and killings in Upper Nile region.

In a statement issued this morning, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) expressed fears over the increased diaspora role in the promotion of violence in the world’s youngest country.

“CEPO is seriouly disturbed by the negative developments between he fighting forces. The trend of the fighting is now more ethnic groups targeting and acts for undermining the peace agreement agreed upon transitional security arrangements,” Yakani said.

“Now the new trend observed by CEPO is some diaspora individuals and groups of persons are effectively engaged in fueling this ongoing deadly and inhuman violence in some parts of Upper Nile state. It is unfortunate to some diaspora colleagues adding serious more fuel for ethnic and proxy war among our conflicting parties in some parts of Upper Nile state,” he added.

The peace and civil society activist further called on the diaspora not to stain bad image about their pass legacy which was characterized by contributions to the development of the world’s youngest country.

“Some diaspora groups and individuals should not fueling deadly and inhuman violence among the communities. Diaspora have done a lot of positive in the past and even currently but this few diaspora who opted to fuel violent way for resolving political differences or grievances is bad and it should be stop immediately by them. It is bad to some diaspora fueling act of crime against humanity in their own homeland country,” he said.

“The confused witnessed in among the SPLA-IO that lead to declaration of Kitgwang group to some extend is the making of those diaspora who don’t want compromise on the road to transition the country from violence to peace and stability. It is natural that in political deals the culture of take and give ( compromise) is real and it should be embrace without rigid preconditions among conflicting parties. No successful political transitional from violence to peace without compromise in history books,” he stressed.

He further appealed to the diaspora “to stop fueling deadly and inhuman violence among our communities or political elites through spreading hate speech, hostile propaganda and financing. Let us all put our efforts for holding our political leaders for genuine implementation for the peace agreement without fueling deadly and inhuman violence.”