August 30th 2018 (Nyamilepedia) – The Centre for Peace and Justice (CPJ), a South Sudanese civil society organization has condemned the arrest of South Sudanese nationals living in Kenya by the Kenyan police and call on the east African country to immediately and unconditionally release them.
Kenyan police this week went on an arrest spree to crack down on foreigners working in the country illegally.
Tito Anthony, CPJ’s Executive, said the move is against the East African Community protocol of free movement among the east African nationals within the region.
“Kenyan government should not discriminately treat South Sudanese citizens from other East African citizens. They should in fact create an environment for South Sudanese to exercise and enjoy all the privileges that any other East African citizen enjoys in Kenya,” he said.
He urges South Sudanese MPs in the regional community to immidaitely rein in this issue to secure and stop what he call discrimination against South Sudanese nationals.
“I call on South Sudanese MP in East Africa Legislative Assembly to immediately intervene to the stop discrimination acts the Kenyan government is doing against South Sudan citizens in Kenya,” he added.
He threatened to urge for the withdrawal of the South Sudan’s membership from the EAC should the Kenyan authorities continue to discriminate against south Sudanese nationals in its territory.
“Should Kenyan Authority continue to treat our fellow citizen in the same I urge our government in South Sudan to table a withdrawal motion from the East Africa should Kenya fail to treat South Sudanese as East African Citizen,” he said.
He said Kenya should instead treat South Sudanese better than any other African country saying his country has offered many job opportunities in working for many NGOs.
“Kenya should the country that could treat South Sudanese better because South Sudan has offer an employment opportunities to Kenyan national in NGOs and private sectors in South Sudan without even a work permit,” he said.
He finally urged the East Africa Legislative Assembly to call on Kenya government to explain why South Sudanese national are not treated like their fellow East African citizens.
