The National Civil Society Coalition has called on caretaker governors and chief administrators across the country to prioritize efforts to address intercommunal conflicts through dialogue and peaceful resolution mechanisms.
The coalition said recent deadly clashes in Rubek Town in Lakes State, Jonglei State, Unity State, Ruweng Administrative Area, Warrap State, Abyei Administrative Area and Upper Nile State were contributing to growing instability.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, its chairperson, Bol Deng Bol, said the caretaker governors and chief administrators should take the lead in resolving communal conflicts in their respective areas.
He also called on the national government to support the deployment of organized security forces where necessary.
“We would like to urge the caretaker, governors and chief administrators to prioritize addressing communal conflicts across the country. In just about three months’ time, we have observed an increase in communal conflicts across the country and most of these conflicts have turned violent,” Bol said.
The coalition attributed the persistence of communal conflicts to the easy access to and widespread availability of firearms among civilians.
It also cited long-standing unresolved communal tensions, widespread hunger and youth unemployment at the subnational level as factors contributing to the violence.
“For instance, in Lake State recently, Jonglei State, Unity State, Ruweng administrative area, Warrap State, Abyei Administrative area and Upper Nile. And most of these conflicts have persisted simply because arms are easily accessed and widely available in the hands of. Secondly, the underlying communal conflicts have been strategically kept unaddressed for a long time,” he said.
The coalition warned that continued communal conflicts could undermine South Sudan’s preparations for a democratic transition if the underlying issues are not addressed.
It urged state and administrative area leaders to take urgent action to prevent further violence and promote peace in their communities.
The post Civil society urges governors to address rising communal conflicts first appeared on Eye Radio.
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