A weekly session of the Council of Ministers in Juba - Credit | File Photo

Civil society activists have criticized senior government officials for violating the presidential ban on public gatherings.

Since President Salva Kiir issued an order prohibiting all public gatherings countrywide last month, some senior government officials have defiantly violated the directives.

These officials include the Inspector General of police – Gen. Majak Akech who was seen addressing mourners over the weekend in one of Juba’s suburb.

Also, the Chief Justice Chan Reech Madut allegedly refused to be screened with his sons at Juba International Airport weeks ago after returning from Dubai.

Eye Radio reporters also observed that while accompanying the remains of the late Gen. Kur Akol this week – the former speaker of Upper Nile State parliament, many people including lawmakers converged at Juba airport, violating social distancing.

Such violations according to civil society activists should not be let go without accountability.

Augustino Deng, a member of the Youth Led-Civil Society coalition on coronavirus urged the government officials to respect the ban on public gatherings.

“The whole issue is our government officials need to respect the order of the president so that the local population takes it seriously and I think this an issue the high-level taskforce should look into,” said Deng.

“The incident of the chief justice, it’s something which was publicly seen by people at the airport and up to now, we need to know the results of the quarantine of the chief justice and his sons.”

For her part, Christie Kiden, the chairperson of the coalition questions the Presidency and the National Taskforce on coronavirus for being silent on such violations.

“If the president issued an order that no gathering is allowed and the IGP who is supposed to enforce the law violets it, this is worrying,” said Christie Kiden.

“It’s also worrying why the president is also keeping quiet after such scenarios happened. If the police are expecting the citizens to act differently and they are acting in the opposite way, it doesn’t connect.”

“They should know that they are not above the law and should start following the directives of the president because this virus is a threat to everyone.”

Also in another alleged violation of the order, a businessman reportedly distributed food staff to hundreds of residents in the Hai-Cinema were many people gathered this morning.

Paul Mayom Akech – the minister of interior, had warned that anybody found to have violated the curfew and presidential ban on public gathering shall be arrested and prosecuted.

But members of the High-level Taskforce on Coronavirus have been spotted many times sitting close to each other during their meetings, violating WHO’s social distancing directives.