South Sudan Police Warn Against Anti-Government Protests

JUBA , SOUTH SUDAN - The South Sudan National Police Service has deployed officers on the streets of the capital, Juba, and warned South Sudanese not to take part in the scheduled nationwide Monday protests against the government.

A group calling itself the People’s Coalition for Civil Action is organizing the protests after launching a public campaign for change in July, saying the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity led by President Salva Kiir is doing very little to address the many challenges facing the people of South Sudan. Abraham Awolic, a member of the group, said it notified the police by letter of the planned protests even though such notification is not required. “The people of South Sudan are coming out on the 30th to protest, it is their constitutional right," he told VOA's South Sudan in Focus. "You don’t need approval from anyone to exercise that power. … You cannot ask the same state which has aggrieved you to give you permission to protest against it.”