CEPO Director Edmund Yakani | Photo: Awan Moses/Eye Radio

Activist Edmund Yakani appeals to law enforcement agencies to embrace regional integration and end alleged mistreatment of East African nationals working in South Sudan as the country assumes the EAC chairmanship.

Yakani, who doubles as the President of East African Civil Society Forum and Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, said the regional leadership is a blessing to South Sudan.

He recommended five priorities to President Kiir for implementation during his tenure, one of which is real citizens integration.

“It is very important for the citizens of East Africa to be integrated because the integration must be citizens-focused, and this means South Sudan should be a good case study under the leadership of President Salva Kiir,” he said.

Yakani appeals to the Ministry of Interior to ensure that its various departments of policing service respect the rights of any citizen of East African member state working in South Sudan.

“We had a problem with migration at the border entries like Nimule, Nadapal, and others and sometimes even in the airport, some of our policing officers like to mistreat citizens of the East African community.”

“Time has come for us to be friendly and to treat any citizen of East Africa member state as citizen of South Sudan and that is what is meant by a real and meaningful integration.”

Mr. Yakani also called on President Kiir to heed the call of the Civil Society of East Africa, to enact a law making East African civil society organizations one of the regional legislations.

“I hope that under his leadership, His Excellency President Salva Kiir will take this legislation serious and help the civil society in east Africa to have one uniform regional legislation.”

Yakani’s third recommendation is the implementation of East African common market and common customs system.

He said once EAC has a common market, it is easy to help the business community of the region to enjoy equal rights of business and access to member states.

Further, the activist called on Kiir to make sure that the Secretary-General Forum and the Consultative National Dialogue should be taken seriously, “because these are platforms that connect East African Community to its citizens and its civil society.”

“My last appeal is the enactment of East African legislation on the promotion of the rights of persons with disability.”

“We are aware in South Sudan that his excellency has made a miracle by signing the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disability into law. It is high time that the same miracle should be translated under his leadership.”