Western Bahr el Ghazal state SPLM leadership discusses insecurity

July 1, 2015 (JUBA) – Top officials of the South Sudan’s ruling party (SPLM) in Western Bahr el Ghazal state on Tuesday in the state capital, Wau, held a joint meeting with the state governor Rizik Zackaria Hassan and his cabinet members to discuss what they said was emerging alarming insecurity situation in the state following rebels activities.

The move came after armed opposition fighters allied to former vice president, Riek Machar, claimed to have captured a number of towns and villages near the state capital in the previously relatively peaceful state in the western part of the new country.

The situation is also coupled with the growing insecurity since the beginning of June as rampant night robberies or gangs discontented with the government have been carrying out house to house attacks at night within the state capital.

On Tuesday, the ruling party officials led by the state’s SPLM chairperson, Anthony Wadrif and state secretariat officials met with the state governor Hassan and his cabinet ministers, members of state security officials and members of parliament to be briefed on how to arrest the growing rebellion in the state.

The more than three-hours meeting which was warmly shared by many party’s members called on residents of Wau town to cooperate with the state security apparatus on how to detect movement of the rebels or to apprehend the criminals terrorizing residents in the town.

Meanwhile, the members of the SPLM ruling party also welcomed the top party leadership’s decision to reinstate the former dismissed party’s secretary general, Pagan Amum, who was among the former detainees.

“The reinstatement of Pagan back to SPLM office will help the government in working toward signing the lasting peace deal with the rebels in opposition,” they observed.

The meeting was held at Western Bahr el Ghazal state’s council of ministers peace hall under the theme “security is responsibility for all.”

(ST)