Bol Wek Agoth was appointed on June 5, replacing Magok Magok|Courtesy

The newly appointed governor of Warrap State says he will not authorise the use of firing squad as part of his strategy to address the recent surge in inter-communal violence.

Bol Wek Agoth made the remarks during a dialogue in Juba on Thursday, ahead of his travel to the state. The meeting was organised to collect views from leaders from Warrap.

He said he will instead try to convince communities to stop fighting and hand over their weapons peacefully.

Governor Agoth was appointed by President Salva Kiir earlier this month following weeks of deadly clashes that left more than 60 people dead and displaced thousands, according to officials.

President Kiir also declared a state of emergency in Warrap State and Mayom County in Unity State. The order calls for the disarmament of armed civilians in the two areas.

The emergency decree allows the government to deploy additional security forces and take “all necessary measures” to restore order.

However, Governor Agoth said he will not rely on emergency powers but will seek peaceful approaches to resolve the conflict.

He said this is to prevent human rights abuses.

“So, with all this, my intention and my goal to minimise the cost of this, is to talk to people, like we are doing today, is to follow the new process of law. Because, you know, firing squad people and killing them mercilessly is not the solution. The solution is to respect the right and punish them through the law,” Agoth said.

“So, hanging a person is more painful than shooting the person. And that is the process I have started. I have the blessing of President, I have the blessing of Chief Justice, I have the blessing of Minister of Justice, I have a very close coordination with CDF.
And we are going to minimise the cost, not to cause us other issues like human rights abuses and all this.”

Following the declaration of the state of emergency, the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) conducted airstrikes in the conflict-hit areas to stop armed youth who were reportedly mobilising to fight, according to state officials.

The army has since been deployed to the affected areas to restore calm and disarm armed groups.