- A video capturing the acting mayor of South Sudan’s capital, Emmanuel Hamish Richard, slapping a female street vendor has sparked a public outcry, leading to his removal from office.
- The video was widely circulated on social media, prompting outrage in the national legislature and calls from women’s rights groups and activists.
- He is the third mayor of Juba to be sacked since the formation of South Sudan’s transitional government.
A video showing a mayor in South Sudan slapping a female street vendor has gone viral. Now he’s fired.
In the video, Emmanuel Khamis Richard, the acting mayor of the African nation’s capital, is seen holding a pistol and walking up to where a policeman and a female vendor are fighting as police try to clear a Juba street of illegal vendors last week . .
He then slaps the woman and walks away as the police operation continues.
The video was widely shared on social media, causing an uproar in the national legislature, while women’s rights groups and activists called for the mayor’s removal, citing rights violations and poor leadership.
The mayor was then called to appear before city hall councilors and when he failed to do so, he was fired over the weekend.
UN APPROVED RESOLUTION TO ADDRESS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN SUDAN
A mayor in South Sudan has been fired after he was caught on video slapping a female street vendor. (Fox News)
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Khamis Richard, who was appointed on June 27, has not commented on the incident.
He is the third mayor of Juba to be sacked since the formation of the transitional government in South Sudan.
Bol Deng Bol, an activist in Jonglei state, which borders Central Equatoria state where Juba is located, described the removal of the mayor as an important step to ensure accountability.
Bol, who chairs the Jonglei Civil Society Network, also filed a civil suit against the mayor.
The mayor’s successor has not yet been appointed.
