Yakani threatens legal action over shrinking women representation following Cleto’s removal

JUBA – South Sudan’s prominent civil society leader Edmund Yakani has threatened to take legal action against President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar for failing to uphold the country’s affirmative action for women in government.

In an email to Sudans Post on Friday, Yakani, the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), expressed concern over the shrinking representation of women in leadership roles following the dismissal of Sarah Cleto, the only female governor in South Sudan.

Cleto, who was removed from her post as governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal State and replaced by Emmanuel Primo Okello, was appointed under the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

The agreement mandates that women should hold at least 35 percent of the power in government roles, but activists have long criticized the government’s failure to enforce this commitment.

Yakani pointed out that Cleto’s dismissal and the increasing trend of male appointments to leadership positions at both the state and national levels are violations of the 35 percent minimum representation for women.

“We are tired of watching violations of 35% in our eyes and we only keep urging,” he said. “Next time, we will question you in a court of law,” he added, referring to potential legal action that could be taken by his organization.

Yakani also urged the SPLM-IO, the main opposition party, to ensure that women are appointed as governors in the upcoming reshuffles in other states such as Western Equatoria and Upper Nile, in order to avoid further erosion of women’s representation.

Cleto’s removal is seen as a setback for gender representation in South Sudan’s government.

Under the revitalized peace deal, the SPLM-IO had been the only party to name a woman to a gubernatorial role, underscoring the lack of gender balance in the country’s wider political leadership.

Yakani’s warning signals growing frustration with the government’s failure to fulfill its constitutional obligations and highlights the continued struggle for gender equality in the country’s political system.