Zachariah Joseph Garang, chairperson of the ruling SPLM Party in Western Bahr el Ghazal State, has threatened to deal with those who express dissenting views in the party.

 Zachariah, who is also the deputy governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal State, said: “There are some places where I hear some issues over there, especially in New Site. We do not want to hear such reports again. If there is anyone who is going back and forth should be reported to me so that we can deal with him.”

The senior SPLM official was speaking during a political rally at the SPLM Women’s League Secretariat in Wau town over the weekend.

Zachariah announced that President Salva Kiir, who also doubles as the chairperson of the ruling SPLM party, will visit Wau town on 27 June to hold a political rally. He stressed that those who do not wish to align with the SPLM Party should leave Wau town and relocate elsewhere.

 “You should be straightforward if you want to stay with us in town, and if you don’t, you should relocate to the other side… Some people will be forced to cross the river on that day,” Zachariah said.

 “We are going to use four-wheel drive when the president comes and nothing will stop it. Our slogan is a star up there but down there, our slogan is a bulldozer. Those who will go back and forth that day we will deal with them, and it will only turn red that day in New Site because this is where I always hear noise in the reports I receive. So more strong-worded statements are still coming because we want to see only red colour, no other colours,” he stressed.

Zachariah urged attendees to wear red T-shirts and insisted that there should be no obstacles preventing participation. He suggested that only lactating mothers with infants and individuals with disabilities should be exempted from attending.

These developments have raised concerns about the alleged suppression of dissenting voices and the potential impact on political freedom and inclusivity in the war-affected state.

Reacting to Zachariah’s remarks, Stephen Robo Musa, a civil society activist in Western Bahr el Ghazal State, called on the ruling party to ensure that there is a free political space in the state.

“Any political party in South Sudan should ensure that if it needs to compete with other parties through democracy, should ensure that it does not restrict rallies of the other political parties,” Robo told Radio Tamazuj.

 “There is a law governing political parties and the president has already said there should be a respect to this and other political parties have rights to carry out their political activities without interference,” he added.

The activist further said citizens have the rights to exercise their political rights by joining any political party they want. “Any location, whether controlled by SPLM or SPLM-IO, the residents there have to be given their choice to choose which party they want without forcing them because we are heading to elections period,” he concluded.

President Salva Kiir, First Vice President and SPLM-IO leader Riek Machar, and other political figures signed a peace agreement in 2018 that ended five years of civil war in the country.

The end of the transitional period was scheduled for 2022 but was pushed back to December 2024 due to the lack of progress on many key provisions of the deal. General elections are due to be held before the end of the transitional period.