KAPOETA / JUBA — In a stern official press statement issued from Kapoeta, Nathaniel Garang Barach Aduotdit, Chairperson and Presidential Candidate of the Real Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (R-SPLM/A), has sharply criticized the state government’s handling of the escalating Toposa crisis.
Garang Barach Aduotdit denounced the outcome of the recent Eastern Equatoria Governor’s meeting regarding the conflict, characterizing official summaries as a “dangerous cover-up and denial of pain inflicted on innocent Toposa citizens”.
The opposition leader’s declaration follows mounting concerns over human rights abuses, destruction of commercial property, and civilian displacement in the resource-rich Toposa region. Garang Barach Aduotdit refuted official claims downplaying government involvement in the violence, pointing to ongoing civilian displacement and structural destruction across affected communities.
“It is unacceptable to claim the government did not fire a bullet while houses and shops are burned and families sleep under trees,” Garang Barach Aduotdit stated. “Making government crimes a no-go zone is not peace, it is fake peace”.
Corporate Accountability, Resource Governance, and Displaced Citizens
Addressing the economic root causes driving local instability, Garang Barach Aduotdit emphasized that local communities must directly benefit from natural resource extraction in areas such as Nakeke. He urged commercial mining enterprises operating in the region to strictly fulfill their corporate social responsibility commitments to local populations, while stressing that state authorities bear the primary constitutional mandate to protect civilians.
“Turning victims into criminals while ignoring their suffering is an insult to the Toposa people,” the R-SPLM/A Chairman remarked, warning that resource exploitation without grassroots benefits fuels structural instability across the state.
Demands for Federal Intervention and Independent Inquiry
Highlighting the risk of further armed escalation, Garang Barach Aduotdit issued an urgent appeal to the Presidency in Juba. He called for immediate executive intervention to address three critical priorities:
- Independent Investigation: Establishing an impartial, transparent inquiry to investigate alleged state-sponsored atrocities and ensure perpetrators are held legally accountable.
- Humanitarian Emergency Relief: Immediate mobilization of emergency humanitarian assistance for displaced families currently sheltering in open areas without food or basic cover.
- Protection of Local Resources: Ensuring that revenue and development commitments from mining operations like Nakeke directly benefit local communities.
Concluding his declaration with a stark warning to central authorities, Garang Barach Aduotdit cautioned that persistent official neglect could trigger wider violence across the borderlands.
“If Juba continues to ignore this, carnage will occur,” he warned. “Peace without justice is not peace”.
