Jonglei: Akobo villages “besieged” by raiders, wounded reach hospital
* Article
* Comments (31)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
*
*
*
*
March 9, 2012 (BOR) – Armed raiders alleged to be Murle tribesmen have
taken control of cattle camps and villages in Dengjok Payam (district)
of Akobo County, Jonglei State killing many people, sources have told
Sudan Tribune.
JPEG - 43.3 kb
Residents of Duk Padiet two days after the village was attacked by a
neighbouring tribe in 2009. (UN)
The fighting, that began at 5am on Friday, comes as Jonglei prepares
for a mass disarmament campaign after a series of large scale clashes
between rival cattle herding groups in South Sudan’s largest state.
Four steam boats full of wounded people reached Akobo town on Friday
evening from Dengjok, a resident told Sudan Tribune.
Jonglei State’s minister for law enforcement, Gabriel Duop Lam,
confirmed the clashes on Friday evening but could not give casualty
figures saying he was “still speaking with the [Akobo County]
commissioner to get details”.
Inter tribal fighting intensified in Jonglei State last year killing
over 1,000 people and displacing thousands more. In December and
January 6,000 armed men from the Lou Nuer tribe attacked Pibor County,
home to the Murle tribe, in what they said was revenge for an attack
in August. The August attack was itself a response to a June raid by
the Luo-Nuer.
Jonglei’s Akobo, Uror and Nyirol Counties, which belong to the Lou
Nuer have witnessed numerous counter raids since January that have
been blamed on the Murle. Since December over 120,000 people have been
affected by the fighting, according to the United Nations (UN).
In an attempt to stop the cycle violence South Sudan’s army is due to
begin a disarmament campaign this month, which is expected to begin 15
March. The raids often occur in remote areas with poor roads making it
hard to the South Sudan army (SPLA) and peacekeepers from the UN
Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), which has complained that it does not
have helicopters to respond to violence in a timely manner.
A source told Sudan Tribune from Akobo town, which is two days walk
away from Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, that it was difficult to
verify the scale of the attack but added that initial reports indicate
the fight was “very heavy”.
Some of the wounded people were taken from Dengjok Payam to Akobo
hospital by four steam boats on Friday, the source said.
The director of the South Sudan Red Cross in Jonglei State, David Gai,
said volunteers are assisting in evacuating the wounded from Dengjok,
north of Akobo, to the county headquarters.
Nine cattle camps were attacked, an Akobo resident told Sudan Tribune,
including Hat, Madies, Kuarnyuin, Kaithilnyer, Bil, Wichol and three
camps in Romyieri.
Another source that visited the wounded in Akobo hospital said victims
spoke of “hundreds wounded” stranded in an area called Wading.
The raiders are alleged to have occupied the cattle camps and still
controlled them on Friday evening, women and children are feared to
have been abducted and forced to flee to the bush for safety.
“The cattle camps and villages housing many people are besieged by
Murle,” the source said.
Local officials told Sudan Tribune that the SPLA in Akobo County
remained in their barracks despite repeated calls for them intervene.
SPLA commanders in Akobo could not be reach for comment on Friday.
Due to the remoteness of the area and Jonglei’s poor communication
network Sudan Tribune has not been able to independently verify the
figures, the areas attacked or identity of the alleged raiders.
Around 12,000 SPLA troops have been stationed in Jonglei to disarm
civilians. Official sources in the state have indicated that South
Sudan’s President Salva Kiir is expected to launch the exercise in
person.
Kiir has warned that if civilians do not handover their weapons
voluntarily force will be used. The United States (US) ambassador to
South Sudan Susan Page on Wednesday encouraged the process to be
peaceful and voluntary after meeting with Jonglei Governor, Kuol
Manyang Juuk.
(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.
