The Launceston Sudanese community has expressed their concern for family, friends and neighbours still in South Sudan who are caught up in ongoing civil conflict.
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South Sudan has a long history of conflict, and Launceston Sudanese Community president Juma Piri Piri said much of the violence is aimed at civilians.
“[The government] kills people along the ethnic fault lines and that’s what they use to justify the reason,” he said.
Mr Piri Piri said he has been in contact with people in South Sudan who describe scenes of “slaughter”.
“What [they] say was that what happened was unbelievable and there's no other human who would do that to any other human being, because people are being shot dead in daylight without any enquiry,” Mr Piri Piri said.
“As I speak some family members [of people in Tasmania] have been held hostage by the regime and they are not sure whether they are alive or dead.”
Reports from South Sudan suggest the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan and media are being denied access to areas where people have been murdered.
Mr Piri Piri said a culture of silence pervades in the country, with media, journalists and anyone who speaks to the media becoming targets.
“A lot of them are voiceless they have no means of communication … There is no access to journalists,” he said.
He hopes by speaking out he can raise the profile of what is happening in his home country.
“Our concern is for how long do people need to be slaughtered in that way? And is the international community really happy with what is happening?” he said.
“We think that our voice might be able to get some messages out to people to let them know what is happening.
“I think that the world powers have their responsibility to make sure we are going to do something about it.”
Mr Piri Piri fled the conflict in South Sudan in 1987 to escape the violence.
He now acts a voice for those remaining in South Sudan.