South Sudan’s army announced Monday it will conduct a voluntary, followed by a “forceful,” disarmament of young people in Warrap State and Mayom County, areas where President Salva Kiir recently declared a six-month state of emergency.
This measure comes as the young nation continues to grapple with widespread insecurity and poverty despite its oil wealth.
President Kiir imposed the emergency last week following a surge in inter-communal violence primarily driven by cattle raids.
The South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) have already deployed troops to the affected region to oversee the disarmament process, according to SSPDF spokesperson Lul Ruai Koang in Juba.
Koang stated that the initial phase would be a “voluntary disarmament,” granting armed youth a “grace period of one week to voluntarily start handing over their weapons.”
Following this period, “SSPDF forces will launch coordinated and simultaneous forceful disarmament exercises in Warrap and Mayom County,” he warned, adding that “Failure will result in the administration of harsh and punitive measures.”
The decision to disarm follows a significant increase in clashes between cattle herders, a persistent issue in South Sudan due to scarce water resources and contested grazing lands.
Earlier this month, the United Nations reported that cattle raids and revenge attacks have resulted in hundreds of deaths since December, including over 200 in March and approximately 80 recently. These inter-communal conflicts exacerbate the ongoing politically and ethnically driven violence that continues to destabilise the world’s youngest nation, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
