By Lodu William Odiya
The SPLM Secretary for Political Affairs, Mobilisation, and Organisation, Ambassador John Andruga Duku, has called on the National Communication Authority (NCA) and mobile network operators to expand cellular coverage across Lafon County and rural areas in South Sudan.
This call came after the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) National Secretariat received a high-level delegation representing the Tenet community of Arilo Payam of Lafon County, Eastern Equatoria State, following violent incidents that left villages burned and hundreds of families displaced.
According to a statement that was released by the Secretariat, the Chairman of the Tenet Community, Philip Abdallah Omoromoi, alongside his deputy, presented a report detailing an outbreak of violence on August 26 in the Arilo area, located north of Torit.
“The SPLM Secretary for Political Affairs called on the National Communication Authority and mobile network operators to expand cellular coverage across Lafon County and rural areas in South Sudan,” the statement partly read.
The community representatives emphasised that the attacks destroyed homes, burned essential food stores, and displaced vulnerable populations, primarily women and children.
He underscored that the displaced residents are currently taking shelter in local schools, churches, under trees, and beneath temporary tarpaulins.
Omoromoi noted that local citizens had gathered on August 25 to complete membership registration for the SPLM before the sudden security breakdown.
The delegation highlighted severe telecommunications isolation in Eastern Equatoria, explaining that news of the August 26 incident took up to four days to reach state authorities.
Community messengers were forced to travel on foot over multiple days, from August 26 to August 28, simply to locate mobile network coverage to report the emergency.
Emphasising that widespread connectivity is indispensable for public safety, rapid emergency response, and ensuring full civic participation ahead of upcoming national elections.
Following the session, the SPLM leaders confirmed that the community’s petition outlines three core demands, which includes; immediate humanitarian assistance, including food, shelter, and medical supplies, for displaced families taking refuge in public structures across Arilo.
They also called for an official fact-finding investigation committee to determine the root causes of the violence and identify those responsible.
Additionally, they requested the executive escalation and transmission of the formal petition from the SPLM Secretary-General directly to the Chairman of the SPLM and President of the Republic for decisive executive action.
The SPLM Secretary for Political Affairs issued a firm warning regarding the party’s newly reinforced Disciplinary Code of Conduct, emphasising that violations will carry severe consequences.
“The SPLM Disciplinary Code of Conduct will spare nobody,” the Secretary for Political Affairs stated.
“Any member of the SPLM who takes the law into their own hands, incites division, or misleads community members outside the party’s legal framework will be held fully accountable and brought to book,” he added.
The SPLM commends the Tenet community for choosing legal and institutional channels to seek redress and urges all citizens in the area to refrain from reprisal actions while formal government and party interventions are underway.