South Sudan Civil Society Alliance (SSCSA) has condemned the heavy deployment of security forces in Juba city and urged the relevant authorities to withdraw the forces immediately.

Speaking during a press conference in Juba on Monday, Akuoc Ajang Nyanhom, chairperson of the civil society alliance in Juba, said citizens should be allowed to move freely to raise their grievances during the current economic hardship in the country.

“There is no way you can bring out military tanks and weapons to the streets when there is economic crisis. The government must withdraw all the forces on the streets of Juba because the civilians are not armed and they have nothing to do with the army,” said Nyanhom.

“What is happening is a harassment of civilians, but any harassment of civilians by the government is not acceptable. They need to pull out their guns, tanks and all the forces that are on the streets of Juba,” he added.

Meanwhile, several local residents told Radio Tamazuj this morning that heavy security forces are still being deployed in Juba, adding that they saw two police tanks parked near Dr. John Garang Mausoleum.