The acting commissioner of Torit County, Jacob Attari, has issued a shoot-to-kill order for armed civilians as the military was deployed in Hiyalla to maintain security in the troubled area.
“Any civilian found with a gun on the road, that gun must be confiscated from him, and if you resist you will be shot dead. They should now leave their guns and also respect the army and the army must also respect civilians,” Commissioner Attari said. “This time we need to see peace everywhere, we don’t want to see anybody is robbed or shot on the road, not only in Hiyalla but in the whole state.”
He added, “My message to the people of Torit county is that they should not be scared when they see the army moving with heavy weapons on the road, soldiers moving are just there to maintain the security. They don’t have a problem with anybody and I am appealing to everybody who is a civilian not to move with a gun on the road.”
John Oromo, the Hiyalla chief, confirmed and welcomed the commissioner’s order and told the youth to abide by it to avoid being victims.
“As you know if people drink alcohol they are reckless. What I am trying to tell them is that if soldiers are moving around here, don’t move with guns and also don’t move with the military uniforms like soldiers because they will shoot you immediately even if you don’t shoot at them. They will shoot you and take your gun. They will say everybody is a soldier including civilians because there are no soldiers here, I have said all these to Monyiemiji (local youth),” Chief Oromo said.
Tirangore Boma chief, Sanabio Tiyya, said the order is very clear and that the youth are respecting it.
“This is true and is very clear because now I have informed all the youth not to go through the highway with a gun or just idle there. Number two, I told them to stop going to some people’s villages to raid because this time the government will spoil your village. Now they understand that nobody goes to the road with a gun and also like Haforiere and Hiyalla nobody is fighting again,” Tiyya said
Charles Okullu, the chairperson for the civil society network in Eastern Equatoria State appreciated the new commissioner for his quick response in dealing with insecurity but urged him to rescind the shoot-to-kill order.
“He needs to reconsider that statement. It is rather violent and will not help to consolidate peace at the moment. The violent approach is not helping to address issues of the community, what helps at the moment is not looking at the behaviors of the people but focusing on the root causes, what makes people behave in the way they are behaving? Is it lack of rule of law or is it politically motivated,” Okullo said.