Yakani condemns SPLA-IO ‘criminality’ in Central Equatoria, urges immediate investigation

JUBA – South Sudan activist Edmund Yakani has condemned last week’s displacement, looting and raping of civilians by soldiers belonging to the main armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) in which one woman was gang-raped to death in Morobo County of Central Equatoria state.

On September 30, SPLA-IO mobile forces swap through several villages in Morobo County rapping three women, one to death, looting civilian properties, and displacing at least 143 civilians in the Triangle of Panyume.

In a statement, Yakani who is the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), condemned the atrocities and urged the leadership of the main armed opposition group to intervene and bring to book those would be identified as the culprit.

“CEPO strongly condemns the unlawful act of the mobilize forces of the SPLA/IO forces,” the statement signed by Yakani reads in part.

“The mobile forces of the SPLA/IO are regularly involved in activity of looting, intimidating and harassing civilian or communities around that triangle of Panyume, Gulumbi and Morobo. The leadership of the SPLA/IO should immediately intervene on this misbehavior of their mobilize forces around Morobo county,” the statement added.

Yakani called on the leadership of the SPLA-IO to investigate the soldiers suspected of rapping three woman including the one who was gang-rapped to death, saying the action of the opposition forces violates the MOU signed between the SPLA-IO and the UN on prevention of conflict-related crimes.

“The soldiers that were involved in raping the three women, one of whom has already died, should be held accountable and their action clearly violates the signed MOU between the leadership of the SPLA/IO and the UN special representative on prevention of conflict-related sexual violence,” Yakani said.

“It is unfortunate that till now our solders of the parties to the R-ARCSS are engaged in raping women, looting civilians and displacing them. This is clear demonstration for lack of respect for the civil population,” he added.

The activist further urged peace monitors such as “CTSAMVM to immediately investigate this recent violation of the human rights by the SPLA/IO mobilize forces” and called on “the leadership of SPLA/IO in Morobo county to discipline their forces and the mobilize forces should reallocate out of mobilize since there are engaging on unlawful acts against the civilians population.”