Mundari youth leader accuses Bari community of practicing apartheid-like policies ArticleComments (5). Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 15, 2011 (JUBA) – A youth leader from the Mundari community of Central Equatoria state in South Sudan has accused his neighboring Bari community of allegedly practicing policies similar to those to apartheid-era South Africa. The Mundari community’s youth representative, Wani Kulang, said the Bari community in Juba, the current capital city of South Sudan, has been denying acquisition of land to those who are not members of their community including the Mundari. In his expression of discontent published by The Citizen newspaper on Saturday about the denial of land acquisition to non-Bari in the capital, Juba, the Mundari youth leader said the Bari community is seen as practicing the apartheid policies in the ministry of Physical Infrastructure of Central Equatoria state. Kulang’s statements were prompted by a remark made by the Central Equatoria state’s minister of Physical Infrastructure, John Ladu Tombe, who is also from the Bari community and claimed in an interview over UN-run Radio Miraya FM that the Mundari were part of the Bari community. He said his community was not part of the Bari but is among a number of communities that speak the Bari language in the state in addition to their own. Kulang challenged that if the Bari could admit that the Mundari are also Bari, they would not also restrict them from possessing land documents in Juba. He cautioned the Bari community not to undermine the united Mundari community. He said that his community has been cheated by the Bari, saying their silence is not because the governor of Central Equatoria state is from the Mundari community. He added that the Mundari community has welcomed the wise decision to relocate the capital city from Juba to Ramciel in Lakes state, which he said would also include some parts of the Mundari land in the federal territory for the capital. Last month South Sudan’s cabinet resolved to relocate the national capital to Ramciel following the “protracted” dispute since 2005 with the state government over the jurisdictions and acquisition of land in Juba. The national government wanted Juba under its administrative jurisdiction and to allocate land to citizens from other states while the Central Equatoria state government and the Bari community wanted to maintain full control over the city with very limited allocations of land to others. The Mundari youth leader called on the state minister of Physical Infrastructure in Central Equatoria state to reconsider his position and seek reforms in the land distribution policy in Juba so that he and his community could also be part of the new capital of Ramciel. Conflicts and disagreements caused by issues of land and cattle raiding are rampant and the cause of most insecurities in South Sudan. Last week there emerged a conflict between the Madi and Acholi communities in Eastern Equatoria state over the land issues. Violence caused by the cattle raiding also affects the pastoralist communities in the states of Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile regions. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob?hl=en.
