Washington DC to Juba: Act with urgency to create civic, political space

Author: Reporter | Published: July 11, 2024

Matthew Miller, US Department of State Spokesperson | Courtesy

The transitional government must act with urgency to create an environment in which the South Sudanese people can express their views openly and without fear, said U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.

Mr. Miller is reacting to the passage of the National Security Service Bill by the Transitional National Legislative Assembly last week, granting the agents the leeway to arrest and detain without warrants of arrest.

He singled out US government as being gravely concerned by the decision of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly in South Sudan to pass legislation that would entrench the National Security Service’s power to conduct arrests and detentions
without warrants.

According to him, “the enactment of this law would further degrade political and civic space in South Sudan.”

His call comes after the Western world Juba-based embassies including Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and his country, the United States said the bill: ” Would constitute a significant step away from the opening of political and civic space, which is a prerequisite for genuine and peaceful elections to take place.”

Given the embassies, the “enactment of the bill into law would be regrettable at any time, but particularly now when it would undermine the transitional government’s assertions that political and civic space exists.”

They emphasized that “South Sudanese should have the right to participate freely in political and civic expression without fear of arbitrary arrest or intimidation by security personnel.”

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