State Minister Calls for Regional Disarmament
The Eastern Equatoria State Wildlife Conservation, Environment and Tourism Minister George Echome Ekeno says regional disarmament is one of the best avenues towards attaining stability in the region. 30 May 2013 By Peter Lokale Nakimangole TORIT, 29 May 2013 [Gurtong] – Ekeno told journalists at his Torit office that disarmament of communities in South Sudan as well as those from neighbouring Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic will boost peace efforts. “It is important that conflicting communities bordering South Sudan are disarmed as the first step towards addressing the rampant insecurity in South Sudan. There is an urgent need to purge illegal weapons from all the neighbouring communities”, he added. He emphasised that border security remains significantly important, saying that it is the national duty and responsibility of all regional and national governments of countries bordering each other in the region. Ekeno cited illegal possession of firearms, cattle rustling, scramble for water and pasture and border encroachments as leading causes of conflicts among communities in the region. He appealed to South Sudanese to uphold peace and the rule of law in order to create a conducive environment for development. The Eastern Equatoria State Government has spearheaded a number of initiatives in efforts to foster stability in the state. With the support of development partners, peace and reconciliation conferences have been organised, with some involving Kenyan and Ugandan authorities. A conference that brought together all the Greater Kapoeta leaders was held in Kapoeta town in March this year. South Sudan has been plagued with insecurity across its ten states after its independence from Sudan in 2011. Much of the insecurity has been attributed to militia groups operating in the country as well as rampant cattle rustling. There are at least seven rebel militia forces that frequently engage in violent clashes with the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army [SPLA] forces in various parts of South Sudan. Posted in: Home, Governance -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14orFHiGZ3uDq2_wEChv-Q_zSHkeUwjbhNWN1deeV8Y%2Brug%40mail.gmail.com?hl=en-US. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
