The Citizens Call-Emergency Response Rehabilitation Initiative has called on the Government of South Sudan and the UN agencies to immediately evacuate dozens of civilians trapped in the conflict-hit Sudan.
The call follows the reported brutal murder of South Sudanese in Wad Medani, the capital of Sudan’s Al Jazira State.
At least 27 South Sudanese nationals were reportedly killed between January 11 and January 15 in Sudan’s Al Jazirah by militias allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
Footages purporting to show soldiers shooting unarmed civilians, including South Sudanese nationals in Wad Medani, made the rounds on social media after it was retaken from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In one video, soldiers are seen throwing a young man off a bridge and then shooting at him repeatedly as he falls into the water.
Speaking during a press conference in Juba on Thursday, the Chairperson of the South Sudan National Youth Union, Taban Paride, called on the government to get its citizens out of Sudan.
“We are calling on our government and UN agencies, and more importantly UNHCR, which is the custodian of all the refugees, to peacefully evacuate our South Sudanese back home or to a safer place,” Paride said.
He called on the government and the international agencies to form a committee to investigate the barbaric act.
A member of Citizens Call-Emergency Response Rehabilitation Initiative, Victor Yangi, called on the youth to desist from attacking Sudanese living in South Sudan.
“Let us denounce violence and discrimination against the Sudanese in South Sudan. Let us try to distinguish between those who are victims and the perpetrators,” he said.
“The ones in Sudan and holding arms are the ones killing. However, the ones who are in South Sudan are running away from that conflict. In our evacuation programs, we evacuated some Sudanese into South Sudan.”
Meanwhile, Oyet Nathaniel, the First Deputy Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), condemned the targeting of South Sudanese citizens in Sudan and called on Sudanese authorities to ensure accountability for the perpetrators.
Oyet expressed concern that since the conflict erupted in Sudan, South Sudanese nationals have been increasingly targeted in areas controlled by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“The best course of action is to evacuate those still in Sudan to South Sudan or safer areas,” Oyet said. “What our government can do is organize an evacuation because South Sudanese are being specifically targeted. The only thing our embassy can do is ensure a well-organized evacuation to a safe area.”
Despite the TNLA being on recess, Oyet emphasized the importance of the parliament expressing its solidarity with the victims and condemning the attacks.