Opposition mounts against security bill in South Sudan

FILE - South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit, left, shakes hands with Pagan Amum Okiech of the Real-SPLM group during peace talks in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 9, 2024.

In South Sudan, opponents of President Salva Kiir want him to send back to parliament a recently passed bill over concerns it will give state security agents too much power. Critics of the bill say it will allow the National Security Service to arrest and detain suspects without a warrant, thereby stifling dissent from the opposition and civil rights activists.