By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
South Sudan’s controversial security bill, which permits warrantless arrests, has become law after President Salva Kiir neither signed nor vetoed it within the constitutionally mandated 30-day period.
The bill’s passage has sparked significant criticism, with Yasmin Sooka, chair of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, warning that “the enactment of this bill directly contradicts the commitments made by South Sudan to both the international community and to South Sudanese.
” Local rights groups, such as the Center for Peace and Advocacy, have also voiced strong opposition, with its executive director, Ter Manyang Gatwech, declaring that “this bill poses a direct threat to the nation, and therefore nobody is safe in this country because of its nature.” Western diplomats, including those from the U.S. and Britain, have condemned the law, arguing that it undermines democratic freedoms and could lead to increased arbitrary detentions. Some opposition groups, which were not part of the 2018 peace agreement, see the law as a major obstacle in ongoing talks with the government.
Source:
Associated Press
