Abdallah Baraj, the Secretary General of South Sudan Islamic Council  - Courtesy

The Secretary-General of South Sudan Islamic Council said political and military leaders in the transitional government must safeguard public safety and not jeopardize peace for their personal interests.

Abdallah Baraj made the statement after heavy fighting involving machineguns erupted at the residence of former spy chief Gen. Akol Koor over what the army spokesperson termed a “misunderstanding” between soldiers assigned to guard his home.

Normalcy has since returned to the city – with many government institutions including the airport operating, shops opened and people minding their businesses in the streets amid heavy deployment and security check on cars.

In response, Mr. Baraj said the country should learn from the ongoing war in Sudan and focus on providing safety for returning citizens and refugees, rather than exposing them to additional security risks.

He cautioned against the dissemination of unverified information on social media, warning that false reports could ignite tensions and harm the fragile economy.

“The leaders of the country must not jeopardize the security because of your personal interests, but rather to remain keen on the stability of the country. This is not the last stop. I hope that we learn from what happened in Khartoum and caused a war of nearly two years. We must learn from the lesson of Sudan,” he said.

“It is not good to fiddle with a message to the people that either we rule you or we kill you. Matters must be handled wisely and not to expose the country to danger and exploit positions to settle scores.”

The cleric further called on South Sudanese to refrain from hate speech and urged the government to restore calm and reassurance among the population.

He said swift action is needed to restore security and install confidence among the population and maintaining peace during what he termed as critical times.

“I appeal to the users of social media to help restore security by not spreading rumors and hate speech because this has a negative impact on the economy. I appeal to the citizens to be calm and not to be carried away by rumors.”

The Islamic Council leader called for collective efforts to maintain security and prevent the outbreak of conflict, appealing to all stakeholders to prioritize the nation’s well-being.