South Sudan’s policeman is being resuscitated by members of the public in Juba. | Courtesy: JunubEye |.
A police officer (name withheld) on Monday in Juba collapsed while on assignment to crack down on potential rioters, according to bystanders who spoke to The Golden Times hours after the awful incident.
The police officer whose video was shared widely on social media narrated that he did not eat for four days due to lack of food. The incident drew mixed reactions on social media platforms as citizens expressed concerns over the health and general well-being of the army and organized forces.
Sudan’s military conflict and subsequent Houthi activities in the Red Sea hamper South Sudan’s effort to export its crude oil to the international market through Port Sudan. This rendered the government destitute and inability to pay its civil servants for nine months.
South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011, but the young country remains entirely dependent on its northern neighbor to get oil to international markets, using two pipelines to transport crude to Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
South Sudan is dependent on oil revenue for up to 90 percent. It enables the government to finance its operations and imports.
Consumer prices in South Sudan surged by 22.5% year-on-year in March 2024, rebounding from a 7.4% decrease in the previous month.
The inflation rate averaged 61.56 percent from 2008 until 2024, reaching an all-time high of 549.40 percent in September 2016 and a record low of -13.97 percent in November of 2013, according to the National Bureau of Standards, South Sudan.
On Thursday, 25 July, a group calling itself “SSD Citizens’ Salvation Group” threatened to mobilize the public against the government’s inability to address the worsening economic crisis in the country.
In a letter shared on social media, the group disclosed that it was preparing for widespread protests in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, on July 29, 2024.
According to the group, the protests were being organized by its members who were unhappy with the national government’s lack of clear plans to arrest the hyperinflation and rapid depreciation of the South Sudanese Pound against the US dollar.
“The protesters are demanding government reforms and action to address the country’s economic crisis and lack of support for the military. The protests are being coordinated by the “SSD Citizens’ Salvation Group”, which has published a notice circulating on social media calling for the demonstrations. The notice lists 7 names of group members and their contact information, likely to serve as organizers and points of contact for the protests. The protests are planned to take place in Juba, the capital and largest city of South Sudan. The demonstrations are scheduled for July 29, 2024,” the group stressed in a press statement.
The group added that it was preparing to put pressure on the government to pay the armed forces and civil servants as well as arrest the inflation in the country.
To counter the said protests, the government deployed thousands of police in several hotspots and roundabouts, markets, and public playgrounds in an attempt to arrest any suspicion.
Several members of the public confirmed to The Golden Times to had seen the anti-riot police deployments and formations in the residential areas in the city.
© Golden Times | South Sudan
@Editorial Team: Germany
