The Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), Edmund Yakani, has issued a strong appeal to President Salva Kiir, urging swift and decisive action to curb the deadly wave of intercommunal violence in Warrap State.
Yakani’ made the call on Sunday, following the recent killing, burning, and destroying of properties in Tonj, Warrap State.
He condemned the attack, describing it as yet another tragic example of how politically motivated intercommunal violence continues to polarize communities and cost innocent lives.
“As we see citizens dying from political armed violence among the warring parties in South Sudan, we are still losing a big number of citizens due to intercommunal violence that is politically motivated, and they are sometimes deadlier than the armed violence among warring parties,” said Yakani.
South Sudan, which witnessed relative calm in political conflicts following the partial implementation of the peace agreement, has seen a rise in inntercommunal violence, parportedly stemming from recent political disputes among principal parties to Revitalized peace agreement, and present of weapons in the hands of unauthorized users.
Local violence at the community level, often fueled by ethnic divisions and political manipulation, has remained a persistent and growing threat to national peace and stability.
The killings and destroying of properties in Tonj mark a disturbing escalation in the cycle of these violence that has plagued the region and surrounding areas.
Reports indicate significant loss of life, the displacement of civilians, and the destruction of property, adding to an already volatile security situation.
Yakani called on the country’s leadership to take immediate measures to prevent further bloodshed.
“I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to President Salva Kiir that the situation in Warrap State requires a robust response. We are losing innocent citizens, and there is destruction of properties. This means a lot in terms of the security and safety of civilians in Warrap State and Tonj in particular,” he added.
He emphasized that national peace cannot be achieved if local conflicts continue to erupt without accountability or timely intervention, urging the government to prioritize community reconciliation, disarmament, and holding perpetrators accountable to break the cycle of violence.
The call comes as the people of Tonj mourn yet another tragedy, hoping that this time, their cries will prompt action from the highest levels of leadership.
