Africa-Press – South-Sudan. A civil society activist is doubtful about a successful execution of President Kiir’s directive to the new defense minister to disarm the civil population in Juba city and other parts of the country.
Chol Thon Balok, the former Deputy Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs was first relieved from the position before being appointed through a Republican Decree on Wednesday.
He replaced his former boss Angelina Teny who was sacked early this month – in what the SPLM-IO still terms a unilateral decision and a violation of the 2018 peace deal.
He was sworn into office on Thursday, despite SPLM-IO rejection of his appointment to the ministry previously allocated to the opposition group during the unity government formation.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony President Kiir asked Gen. Chol Thon to organize the forces and remove illegally acquired arms from the hands of civilians in Juba and other parts of the country.
“First, you have to organize the army and deploy them in their places, and the second task is to remove illegal goods from their carriers in Juba and the rest of the country’s cities,” he said.
“We have to implement the security aspect of the agreement that has not been implemented As well as the political side, and we offer you all support to achieve peace I wish you all the best,” the president added.
Yakani casts doubts
Civil society activist Edmund Yakani expressed doubts that the new Defense Minister will succeed in disarming the civil population as directed by the President, due to widespread insecurity and “selfishness of the elites.”
According to Yakani, the political instability, tribal militia groups, and poor gun control system may derail the minister’s efforts to carry out the exercise.
The Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization also said by announcing a disarmament plan, the citizens will hide their guns.
“Calling for the disarmament of the civilian in Juba is a good call but the question is will that be realistic?” he inquired during an interview with Eye Radio.
“How many times arms have been collected from the arms of civilians in Juba but the insecurity situation is still high even across the county? The challenge will be whether the order will be honored and respected.”
“Even with disarmed if you don’t have political stability and political discipline within the political elite this will reduce the capacity of the minister of defense in providing safety and security for individuals and communities within the country.”
Yakani said the most important step is for the leaders to gain the trust of the public by giving them practical assurance that the state is ready to provide security “and that they don’t need to carry arms.”
The national army has been cautious about the idea of forcefully disarming a heavily armed civilian population across the country.
In August 2020, a disarmament exercise in the Tonj region was called off after the eruption of violence that led to the death of 148 people in the Tonj region.
Yakani further said “there is no proper control of the firearms in the hands of the members of the society, some of them compromised either hiring or selling them out or coming with more than one and keeping one at home and one in office.”
“So we have a problem in terms of store and control, and that is where I wish the president directed or empowered the current minister defense and upcoming minister of interior to look into how the armed are stored and controlled to prevent armed not to end in the hand of civilians because you find there are people who are not in duty but still carrying armed.”
Gen. Thon optimistic
On his part, the new Defense Minister, Gen. Chol Thon Balok reiterated his commitment to implement the Security Arrangement to achieve a durable peace in the country.
“I want to promise that I will be on your side and by the guiding of all senior members to carry out the remind task of our mission,” he said on the national television.
“Now I have to cooperate with all senior members and reorganize the army by ensuring the forces welfare. If the armed forces are organized and their welfare is taken care of, then our people will be free to undertake the task of building the nation.”
For More News And Analysis About South-Sudan Follow Africa-Press
