Thiik Thiik Mayardit, Deputy Mayor of Juba. | Courtesy photo.

The Deputy Mayor of Juba City has warned that authorities will not hesitate to use live bullets against demonstrators.

Thiik Thiik Mayardit’s statement comes after a group of youth took to the streets in Juba on Sunday and Monday, to protest the high cost of living in the country.

The protesters were seen holding placards with slogans such as “We cannot manage water and sugar now! We cannot afford bread now! and Save our lives from hyperinflation.”

Speaking to the media on Monday, Thiik Thiik Mayardit confirmed that one demonstrator was shot during the protest.

“Yesterday one person was shot, and 5 people have been arrested. And this is what I wanted to put on that in South Sudan, we don’t have “water cannon” whereby if you go for ‘mazaharat’ (protests), then the water will be blown into you,” he said.

The official attributed the incident to the lack of teargas and water cannons to disperse the protesters.

Thiik warned that the regime is against any form of protests saying they will shoot anybody who protests against the government.

“No! Then we don’t also have what we call ‘Gumbula sheta’ (teargas) here in South Sudan. What we have is a real bullet. I want to tell the people that if you want to lose your life with the greedy people.., please restrain from them.”

It is not the first time South Sudan authorities have threatened to use live bullets against protestors in the Country.

Last year, the government Spokesperson Michael Makuei Lueth also said anyone trying to demonstrate would be shot with live bullets due to a lack of tear gas.

However, rights groups had criticized the statement saying such utterances infringe the citizens’ rights to freedom of expression as enshrined in the interim constitution.