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YAMBIO - 1 Apr 2020

Western Equatoria police warned against beating civilians during curfew

File photo: Police Commissioner James Mande Enoka
File photo: Police Commissioner James Mande Enoka

Police officers in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria State have been warned against beating civilians during curfew.

Last week, South Sudanese government imposed a nationwide curfew to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, Police Commissioner James Mande Enoka said night patrol officers were instructed not to beat civilians, but arrest those who violate orders and they will be tried for flouting the curfew rules.

He urged citizens to observe curfew hours from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am.

Separately, the state government on Tuesday formed a technical committee to sensitize the public on coronavirus.

“We have formed a state committee composed of 21 members to create public awareness on coronavirus,” Wilson Thomas Yanga, the secretary general of the defunct Gbudue State, told reporters.

He said the committee would be tasked with creating awareness and report to the national taskforce in Juba.

The acting director general in the state health ministry, Teresa Dominic said the new committee, which emerged from the previous Ebola taskforce, would mainly create awareness on the dangers of the pandemic.

She appealed to the general public to comply with the guidelines issued by health officials to avoid the spread of the new coronavirus.