Watchdog condemns alleged expulsion of Kiir allies from southern Unity State

JUBA – South Sudan’s civil society watchdog, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), has issued a statement condemning the alleged expulsion of President Salva Kiir’s allies in southern Unity State, saying the actions by SPLM-IO leadership violates recent presidency directives for a conducive civic space.

The ruling SPLM faction under President Salva Kiir Mayardit in Unity state has claimed that the chairman of the party in Panyijiar County of the oil-rich state has been expelled from the country by the commissioner who belongs to the SPLM-IO led by First Vice President Machar.

Peter Gatkoi Beliew said in an interview with Radio Tamazuj that he was forced into a plane on October 23 by the commissioner of Panyijiar County and is now in Juba and said that several members of the SPLM including the chairperson of the SPLM Youth League in Panyijiar is still being detained there.

“On 23 October, they deported me to Juba, I am now in Juba, and I will not return to Panyijiar because the commissioner is not for peace. The commissioner is not giving other parties a space to do their activities in the county,” he said.

“The number of our members under detention in unknown locations is five. The rest have been released.  Mathiang Degay, the Secretary General of SPLM in Panyijar County, Mading Manychuol Gatluok, the chairman of SPLM Youth League in Panyijiar and three others are still in detention,” he added.

In a statement, CEPO described the alleged expulsion as a violation of the presidency directive in which President Kiir and First Vice President Machar directed their parties to open up political spaces in their areas of control.

“Community Empowerment for Progress Organization strongly described the registered the incident above as violation of the ‘Presidency instructions dated 22^nd October 2022 to state Governors, County Commissioners and Chief Administrator on opening of political and civic space’.  After 22^nd October 2022 any restriction of political and civic space is not allowed,” the statement said.

“CEPO strongly condemned the violation of the Presidency Instruction Dated 22nd October 2022 on Opening of Political and Civic Space,” it added.

Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of CEPO, urged the parties to respect the instructions from the presidency to open up civil space.

“The recent instructions from the presidency to states, county and administrative areas political leaders is critical to be honor and respected. Before this presidency instructions dated 22nd October, 2022 States, Counties and Administrative Areas leaders were feel to restrict political space as we have witnessed in the past,” he said.

“State Governors, Counties Commissioners and Administrative Areas Chief Administrator should sincerely respect and honor the instructions directed the presidency for opening political and civic space for public engagement on the political transitional process. Regaining trust and confidence and embracing citizens’ ownership of the political transitional process that our country is undergoing is 100% determine open political and civic space,” Yakani stressed.

The statement further urged the states, counties and administrative area political leadership “to observe the presidency instructions without any form of favor” and warned that “CEPO Civic Space Watch will issue observation report on the status of the Presidency Instructions Dated 22nd October 2022 on Opening of Political and Civic Space execution.”

“Finally, CEPO is closely watching and documenting the violation of the Presidency instructions dated 22nd October 2022 to state Governors, County Commissioners and Chief Administrator on opening of political and civic space.”