June 26, 2024 JONGLEI. Civil rights activist Bol Deng Bol and the organizers of Monday’s peaceful protests in Bor, the capital of Jonglei State, have gone into hiding following “threats of arrest by the authorities.”
The protests, which have been ongoing for two weeks, were sparked by the high cost of living and the delayed payment of civil servant salaries.
Bol, the Executive Director of an advocacy group based in Bor, told Radio Tamazuj that he was accused of instigating the protests. He described being summoned to the state legislative assembly, where he faced questioning alongside the Bor County Commissioner and the Mayor of the town. Bol said he received explicit threats of arrest during the meeting.
“If I am arrested, if I am kidnapped, if anything happens to people, the Bor County Commissioner will be responsible,” Bol asserted.
He also pointed out that the Bor Mayor had recently expressed support for the Members of Parliament.
The protesters called on the government and President Salva Kiir to intervene regarding the high cost of living and urgently address the country’s economic challenges.
Speaking anonymously due to fear of reprisals, one of the protest organizers emphasized that peaceful demonstrations are a constitutional right in a democratic country.
“We have vowed to continue with our demands in peaceful protests until the civil servants and the organized forces, who have gone without salaries for seven months, receive their payment,” he said.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, the Jonglei State Police Commissioner, Maj Gen Elia Costa, acknowledged the citizens’ right to peaceful protest but criticized the lack of official permission from the police.
While the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan endeavours to protect citizens’ right to freedom of expression, assembly, and peaceful protests, domestic laws such as the National Security Service Act of 2014 continue to limit the enjoyment of this right.
