Edmund Yakani, a prominent civil society activist in South Sudan and the Executive Director of CEPO, is urging President Salva Kiir to pardon the remaining activists who are currently jailed across the country.
Yakani commended President Kiir for the recent release of inmates nationwide but emphasized the importance of extending this gesture to include activists like Morris Mabor, Peter Ajak Biar, Simon Yan in Renk, and Raphael Zacharia. These individuals have been detained for speaking out on matters of transparency and accountability in the country.
“I appreciate the president for pardoning 20 inmates across the country. We hope that the culture of pardoning people will also encompass the recently detained young activists. In 2024, we look forward to seeing them reunited with their families and society as a gift from the president,” Yakani said on Saturday.
He highlighted the significance of President Kiir’s New Year speech in 2023/2024, stating that it will be crucial if it addresses key national political transitional priorities. Yakani posed five questions for consideration:
What concrete action plans will guarantee the conduct of the forthcoming December 2024 elections, given that many preconditions for creating a conducive electoral environment have not been met? “The parliament is yet to pass the budget for elections and constitutional processes,” Yakani added.
How prepared is the government to adequately finance pending tasks of the R-ARCSS, including transitional security arrangements and political transitional processes?
Yakani noted persistent restrictions on civic and political space, urging the president to address these issues. He stated, “As much as the presidency directs authorities to open up civic and political space, practices of restriction, especially for other political parties, persist across the country. Members of the ruling party have been observed pressuring state authorities to limit space for opposition parties.”
Urgent political decisions are needed from the top leadership to determine the course of the political transitional process. When can we expect these decisions to be made?
What assurances do we have that the new proposal for the Kenya peace talk initiative will surpass the effectiveness of the Rome Peace Talks?
Regarding the delay in implementing the new civil servant salary structure, what factors led to this delay?
Yakani further explained, “It would be beneficial for the nation if the president addresses additional concerns, including the release of the constituency development fund promised to the nation, resolution of ongoing deadly violence among communities, tensions among state political leaders affecting service delivery, the welfare of redeployed forces and the completion of the final phase of unifying the forces. Additionally, strategies for meeting the given preconditions for lifting the United Nations arms embargo on South Sudan, the timely enactment of transitional justice bills before parliament, and the operationalization of the African Union Convention on Internally Displaced Persons, known as the Kampala Convention on IDPs.”
He further stressed the need for the political leadership to adopt recently ratified UN Human Rights treaties, stating, “CEPO urges the president to instruct relevant government institutions to domesticate recently ratified and signed United Nations Human Rights treaties or conventions, particularly the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, among others.”
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