Several civil society organizations in South Sudan’s Maridi State have accused security forces in the state of exhorting money from them ـــ a move which they said has been hindering their activities in the area.

The civil society groups said this during a meeting organized by Maridi Service Agency with support from Democracy International (DI).

The Executive Director of Maridi Service Agency, Widdatallah Peter, told Radio Tamazuj yesterday that the security forces view civil society organizations as sources of income.

Peter revealed that they called for a meeting with government officials in the state to discuss how best they can serve the locals without interference.