Activist Edmond Yakani has accused the country’s leaders of deliberately using violence and instability as a political tool to gain and maintain power, demanding an immediate end to what he called their ‘political immaturity.’
Yakani, the outspoken Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), did not mince words as he condemned a toxic ‘culture of governing through crisis that he says is dragging the country away from peace.
“Even when you have grievances among yourselves, you can use dialogue to resolve your differences,” Yakani said, speaking directly to the country’s leadership. “But unfortunately, we have seen some of you commit yourselves to public governance through crisis. This has to stop.”
His plea comes as the 2018 peace agreement continues to falter, with key deadlines missed and conflicts still simmering across the nation.
Yakani argued that this stalemate is not just a failure of policy, but a deliberate strategy by some to profit from chaos. He slammed leaders for treating violence as a career path.
“We can’t tolerate your political indiscipline, your immaturity in scaling up violence as a ladder for either accessing power or as a strategy for retaining it,” he declared.
The activist’s message reflects the deep frustration of a populace that has endured years of conflict, displacement, and broken promises.
He made it clear that the patience of the people and civil society has run out.
“We have seen actions that are dragging the country toward sustained violence rather than a transition to peace,” Yakani warned. “We cannot tolerate this behavior anymore.”
Signed in September 2018, the agreement was a beacon of hope for the world’s youngest nation, which has known more war than peace since its independence in 2011.
Yet, years later, critical parts of the deal remain unfulfilled, leaving millions of displaced citizens in limbo and the economy in ruins.
