Army Unit Accused Of Harassing Youth

This article was last updated on May 26, 2022

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Alur Youth Union (AYU) body in Mapel town in Jur River County have also called for urgent formation of Crisis Intervention Committee (CIC) which will be tasked with meeting the military commander for dialogue.

More than 100 youth across the payam today gathered in Mapel town to discuss the way forward and solution leading to an end to youth unlawful detention.

In the meeting, youth widely accused elements of SPLA military police, helping police forces in the town, of always undermining the usefulness of youth but always subjecting the youth to unlawful arrests.

“The military police working in the town are not freely performing their normal duties since they are being undermined by the military police making their working valueless,” said youth member Rudolf Nyiyuo Kon.

The youth blame weaknesses of payam administrator for giving the army more powers to control the town of which they have extended their operations into the residential areas instead of sticking on the market.

“We do not understand why military officers are the only security conducting night patrol without police of which they do thump innocent civilians at night,” he said.

They complain that they are being mishandled and suffer at the hands of army in presence of payam administration without bringing the perpetrators to book.

The youth said that they need the payam administration to forward their concerns to the state authority and the administration of the SPLA forces division commander that they do not need the army to handle civil affairs.

“We do not long need to be threaten by elements of SPLA the national army; we need them to understand that they are here to protect the national interior of South Sudan not subjecting the civilians of any offense,” youth mentioned.

This is not the first time for Mapel youth to raise such concerns on intimidation and harassment by the army.

Last year, residents’ ordered the evacuation of SPLA army officers renting within the civilian areas, accusing the army of sexual abuse on their women and daughters.