Three killed in Jonglei despite peace deal
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May 11, 2012 (BOR) - Three people have been killed and three others
injured in attacks allegedly conducted by Murle tribesmen in Jonglei,
local officials say, days after a "comprehensive peace deal" was
signed between the state’s communities.
JPEG - 474.7 kb
A victim of a Murle attack, Mr. Bol Lual in Bor hospital, Jonglei,
South Sudan. March 29, 2011 (ST)
On Thursday 10 May a car belonging to the South Sudan Ministry of
Roads and Bridges was traveling from Juba to Jonglei when its was
attacked near Panwell village of Bangachorot. Two policemen were
wounded and the driver was killed, according to Jonglei police.
In Twic East two people were killed and one person was injured on
Wednesday 9 May when attackers, again assumed to be members of the
Murle tribe, captured 32 heads of cattle, according to Dau Akoy, the
county commissioner. South Sudan’s army (SPLA) later rescued the cows,
Akoy said.
Speaking to Sudan Tribune from his base in Panyagoor, Akoy said the
attack was the first since the Jonglei peace deal was signed in Bor on
Saturday 6 May.
He said the attack was launched on a group of traders from Bor, Twic
and Duk counties. The cattle were returned by the SPLA after
“exchanging gunfire with the criminals,” he said.
Akoy appealed to the people of Jonglei State, in particular to the
Murle community, to control those in their communities who take part
in cattle raids and illegal activities. “These criminals have their
fathers; chiefs and a commissioner who can control them,” he said.
Traditional leaders from the six tribes of Jonglei and some members of
peace committee appointed by President Salva Kiir and civil society
groups are currently in Pibor County, home of the Murle, to monitor
the implementation of the peace deal.
Jonglei’s minister of law enforcement, Gabriel Duop Lam, admitted that
peace deal signed on 6 May will not stop attacks immediately as it
will take time to convinced the raiders to stop their criminal
activities.
State governor, Kuol Manyang Juuk, said last week that since June
2011, when the violence escalated, there have been 3,651 people
killed, 385 people wounded, 1,830 children abducted and 3,983,613
cattle stolen. The UN have dismissed some of the higher casualty
estimates. Such figures are often compiled by officials from the
communities affected.
The United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General
(SRSG) in South Sudan, Hilde F. Johnson, asked the Nuer, Dinka, Murle,
Jie, Kachipo and Anuak of Jonglei "say no to violence" and honour the
peace accord.
Speaking during the 6 May signing ceremony witnessed by president
Kiir, Johnson said that the deal between the six ethnic groups must be
respected to the cycle of violence.
“Today is the opportunity to say no to violence,” Johnson said. “We
need to see peace reach the communities, the grassroots, and the
cattle camps”.
She stressed that long lasting peace can only come when comprehensive
solutions to Jonglei’s challenges are found. "Resolutions are not
enough. We need to see peace be followed by dividends of peace for the
people.”
Before the peace conference a six week disarmament campaign collected
over 10,000 small arms from the the civilian population. However, some
groups attempted to avoid the process and did not attend the peace
conferences.
The disarmament campaign "has been mostly peaceful and you have seen
disciplined behaviour”, she said. Johnson said the United Nations
Mission in South Sudan was committed to help Jonglei find sustainable
peace.
“We are committed to help you turn this new chapter and open the new
chapter for peace on sustainable basis”, Johnson said.
As well many arms being leftover from Sudan’s two-decade civil war, it
is widely believed that some of the arms used in raids and counter
raids by Jonglei’s young men were disseminated by rebel groups
operating in the area. Juba says that groups loyal to the late George
Athor and David Yauyau are backed by Khartoum on order to destabilise
the South Sudan.
Since the end of March Sudan and South Sudan have fought a border
conflict centering around the disputed Heglig/Panthou oil region. The
UN and AU have called for the two sides to cease hostilities and
return to talks to resolve the mnay issues that arose from South
Sudan’s secession in July last year.
Johnson said peace in Jonglei would be hard to achieve if the conflict
between Sudan and South Sudan continues. Part of UNMISS’s mandate is
protect civilians in the world’s newest state, a role critics have
said it failed to fulfill during spikes in violence in June, August
and December last year.
However, Johnson has defended the UN mission pointing out to the BBC
in an interview in February that UNMISS was their to support the
government of South Sudan. She also pointed out that they could not
have responded any faster considering the remoteness and poor
infrastructure of Jonglei and the low number of helicopters available
to them.
(ST)
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