Jonglei: Four women killed in Akobo attack, say MPs ArticleComments (27). Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
February 24, 2012 (BOR) – Four women have died in Jonglei State’s Akobo County following an attack on Thursday, which local MPs have blamed on members of the Murle tribe. Internally displaced people are seen in Pibor January 12, 2012. (Reuters)Representatives for Akobo County in the Jonglei State Assembly say the attack took place in Manyjok, a western sub-district of Akobo county. Jonglei has seen a string of attacks between rival cattle herding groups in the last two months. Over a thousand members of the Murle and Luo Nuer tribes were killed last year in raids and counter raids, in South Sudan’s largest state. Over 120,000 people have been affected by the violence, with many forced to flee their villages and look for safety in towns. The two MPs representing Akobo county in Jonglei assembly, Deng Bai Chuol and John Jok, said the four women had returned to their village, which had been deserted, when they were killed. They had returned to the village to collect grains to feed their families that had fled the area to seek refuge in Walgak Payam (district) headquarters. The MPs also reported a a separate attack in Nyirol on a cattle camp. The pastoralist communities of Lou Nuer, Dinka Bor and Murle in Jonglei state have engaged in deadly cattle raiding that has left thousands killed since 2005, when South Sudan gained self-rule as part of a peace deal. In 2011, as part of the same agreement, South Sudan became independent but cattle raiding and counter attacks between ethnic groups have remained a problem. South Sudan’s army will begin a disarmament campaign with the week, the military say, to try and stop the cycle of violence. Similar attempts in the past have led to violence with some groups refusing to disarm. MP John Jok said the incident in Akobo highlights the Murle’s “previous attacks” on innocent people. Following a massive Luo-Nuer offensive consisting of over 6,000 armed men in December and early January in which cattle were raided, houses burnt and some civilians killed and kidnapped, the Murle have been accused of conducting counter attacks in Dinka and Luo Nuer territory. One of the motivations for the Luo Nuer attack was to disarm the Murle and recover women and children abducted in previous raids. Initially press releases from a group called the Nuer White Army, claiming to represent the raiders said that they also intended to "wipe out" the Murle. This rhetoric has now been toned down by the NWA but they recently stated their intention to "quarantine" the Murle’s home county of Pibor by surrounding the county with armed men to prevent further attacks. (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.
