Civil society activists have raised concern about their safety in the country, after meeting the UN Security Council team that visited Juba last week.

The 15-member team held discussions with different stakeholders on the deployment of a regional protection force authorized by the Security Council.

The activists say some of them have been receiving threatening messages days after the meeting while one has been shot dead.

The civil society group, Citizens for Peace and Justice, say their colleague, by the name Emmanuel Wani was shot dead in a day broad light while reportedly taking lunch at a hotel in Juba on Wednesday.

Due to this, they say some of their members fled the country in fear of their lives.

“On Monday, we started receiving information about security threats and to our lives and that we were wanted by the National Security,” one activist who was at the meeting with the UN diplomats told AP.

According to a media report, three organizations have been told to close in weeks, or else they would be considered illegal.

On Wednesday, the US envoy to South Sudan, Donald Booth, told the Congress the number of blacklisted groups could be as high as 40.

The UN Mission in the country says it has received reports of the threats and harassment of some civil society members who met the UN Security Council delegation which recently visited the country.

In a statement, UNMISS warns that these reported actions are in violation of the rights to freedom of expression, movement and civil and political engagement.

Efforts to get a response from the government were successful.