By Anak Dut

An activist from Lakes State has urged the national army (SSPDF) to extend its disarmament exercise to the neighbouring communities of Mayom County of Unity State and Warrap State.

Speaking to The City Review on Tuesday, Daniel Kon Laat, coordinator for civil rights organization, Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation (CEPO) in Lakes State, called for the move just days after President Salva Kiir declared a six-month state of emergency in the two regions.

The president made the decision due to escalating insecurity and rising communal violence.

“There is also need to disarm communities which are surrounding these states. When you move around these areas, you see youths rearming themselves,” Kon said.

 He said the disarmament exercise should not end in specific regions but to be implemented across the country. Then, the country can embark on full-blown peace and reconciliation.

“This disarmament should not only be in Warrap State and Mayom County. If you disarm people in these regions alone, and exclude the surrounding areas, which also experience the same problem, then the mission will be incomplete. These weapons are also proliferated in these other regions. Achieving maximum peace means extending this mission across the nation,” Kon explained.

The activist linked the repeated revenge killings and tragic cattle raids to the existence of arms in the hands of civilians.

“These vices can only be explained by the increased presence of firearms in the hands of civilians. Lakes State, among other regions, should also be disarmed. Take away illegal firearms from the hands of those unlawful, unauthorized people,” he advised, stating that there should be trust and confidence-building among the communities.

Rising insecurity and communal violence have been recurring problems in both Warrap and Mayom County, with the regions experiencing periods of intense fighting, displacement and humanitarian crises.

To address the longstanding issues and avert more security threats, President Salva Kiir declared a state of emergency in Warrap State and Mayom County on Thursday.