Michael Ladu Allahjabu, the Mayor of Juba City Council speaking at Dr. John Garang Mausoleum in Juba - credit | Lou Nelson/Eye Radio | April 4, 2022

The Mayor of Juba City has dissociated himself from the remarks of his deputy, who threatened that authorities will not hesitate to use live bullets against demonstrators.

Speaking at a press conference in Juba on Wednesday, Mayor Michael Lado Allahjabu said, the use of live bullets against protesters is not the policy of Juba City Council.

“That is not the position of Juba City Council. Juba City Council is providing service to the people, and at the same time also they are there to maintain law and order and public tranquility,” he said.

On Monday, Deputy Mayor Thiik Thiik Mayardit warned that authorities will not hesitate to use live bullets against demonstrators.

Thiik Mayardit’s statement came after a group of youth took to the streets on Sunday, to protest 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.”

Later on, police stormed the scene, and arrested six protestors and a VOA journalist.

Addressing the event the next day, Thiik said the regime is against any form of protests, and may be compelled to shoot anybody who protests against the government.

“We don’t 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,” uttered the municipal official on Monday.

However, Thiik had to eat his words, and wrote a long apology, after he was criticized by social media users.

“Dear members of public, it’s with regrets that I came to learn how my statements on those who protested the hiking of prices in the market have been twisted,” reads a statement published on his Facebook page.

The deputy mayor acknowledged that the constitution provides for freedom of expression, and claimed he only meant that protestors would have sought the approval of the authorities.

“When you go on the streets while you haven’t informed the relevant authorities, you may be harmed by police as it occurred during that incident in Konyokonyo,” he said.

Meanwhile, the city mayor Michael Ladu Allah-Jabu said at a press conference, that the government condone peaceful protests in exercise of the freedom of expression.

“So we as the city, we also condone a peaceful protest within the city and also whenever there is any protest of such kind, we apprehend the people and we investigate them so that we know the motive of why they are protesting.