SPLM local official killed in Lakes state
September 28, 2008 (YIROL) – A local official of the ruling party in Southern Sudan was ambushed by gunmen as he traveled with another local official through Lakes State, currently in the midst of a forcible disarmament campaign.
SPLM Yirol County Secretary Ater Deng was killed in the attack on Wednesday September 24. Deng was accompanying Yirol East County on his way back to his county headquarters in Nyang Yirol East after paying a visit to Kareer Payam, where SPLA deserters had looted properties and caused havoc.
The SPLA deserters, who were reportedly ethnically Nuer, fired on the vehicle, killing the SPLM secretary on the spot. But the commissioner narrowly escaped death and took to his heels, sustaining a severe wound on his stomach and having his back ripped by bullets.
There were three bodyguards and four civilians in the entourage and they were severely wounded. The commissioner and the wounded are now receiving treatment in Yirol Hospital. One bodyguard reportedly died in a hospital in Juba.
The attackers are part of the SPLA Division that caused mayhem in Rumbek town on Sept. 8, when they turned a disarmament exercise into a looting spree and made off with huge amounts of money, estimated at one million US dollars taken from residents and the business communities. Most of the guns they collected during this disarmament exercise were actually taken from organized forces including the bodyguards of constitutional post holders. These weapons were not recovered.
Having failed their mission in Lakes State, this Division was ordered to leave Lakes State by the SPLA General Headquarters following a visit by conciliatory officials, led by the GoSS minister of internal affairs and other high-ranking SPLA officials.
However, most of these soldiers have deserted the army unit and Yirol East County is one of the counties bearing the brunt of the brutality of these soldiers, who are said to be looting cattle, killing, raping, maiming and terrorizing the local community.
Observers of the conflict in Lakes state explain that there are unresolved traditional enmities, whereas others point to different political factors, like an alleged concerted campaign by the national government, based in Khartoum, to divide the southerners.
Much of the debate and accusations are polarized around a Nuer-Dinka ethnic divide that was exacerbated during Sudan’s decades of civil war as competing insurgencies and government-backed militias fought each other amid an intra-Nuer civil war.
(ST)
Grader
SPLM local official killed in Lakes state
“Observers of the conflict in Lakes state explain that there are unresolved traditional enmities, whereas others point to different political factors, like an alleged concerted campaign by the national government, based in Khartoum, to divide the southerners”.
Ok that could be right but am wondering Why are we quick to blame others about our problems instead of dealing with them head on? The statement might have substance but what have we, as Southerners done to avoid being plunged into a such sadful situation? Leave alone the question of asking about the SPLA intelligence if at all such allegations have been known to some “political experts”!!!!. These soldier never went to Rumbek as Nuers disarming Jaang but as SPLA officers on mission, therefore if something went wrong, the people’s army HQ has to bear the responsibility and not the ethnic community where the individuals (alleged culprits) emanates!
Mr Famous Big_Logic_Boy
SPLM local official killed in Lakes state
Lake state should be called Lack State in fact the whole people are just sadist,there is no austpices in that area,and in my imagination i would suspect that the killing of those innocent people was well oragnised by Riek,Riek is a man of devastation,we will never trust his fake LRA peace or VP in the Goss,he is just a man who is always revealing his plans against the Southerners,for instance during 1991 he turned against the dinkas,just killing them like his cattle,but for our own beliefs we must not consider riek as man who is working for the betterment of Southerm Sudanese,he is a chameleone imagine even if he could have a chance to be as Goss for sure he will slaughter us,trade with us like his own products.But i hope that this will never happen,he and his fake community who enjoy killing people will never achieve a single inch of leadership in South.
miss JOOK
SPLM local official killed in Lakes state
first of all, may God be with the families of those who lost their lives in an unnecessary war against Dinkas.
this is the most provocative of all news i have heard from south sudan in the last 3 years. i thought the Nuer community and their leader Dr. Riek Machar have changed. i was saying a few days ago that we should forget the atrocities of 1991 because it was time of war. look what is happening now, Nuer is back to the Butchary and is killing people simply because they are DINKA. they are also targeting government officials which leaves people with the suspicion that Dr. Riek is involved. i don’t know how to say it in Nuer langauge, but soldiers are to protect civilians not attack and loot their properties and even killing them. if it was Arabs killing people in lake state it would be more understandable because they are the enemy. i think it is time for the Nuer community to clarify their position in sudan are they the enemy or not. they have been known as traitors of the south but i am sure that they have advanced to be the enemy if they are repeating 1991. i understand that war is a precious part of the Nuer culture but in a country that is multicultural i think we should negotiate and accommodate the needs of other cultures that cannot tolerate war any longer.
Chol Acuoth Chol
SPLM local official killed in Lakes state
To Observe what happen to the Lake State, If you look in real sence, that are big politician leaders.they are mobilizing they enemies to killed people
in time of disarment. please, people of
Lake State i asked you to takecare for
your people.And keep waching very careful, because they enemies are around
you.
Jakok Loakloak
SPLM local official killed in Lakes state
Dear Misquided ones,
First my prayers to the deceased and their families. May God Almighty rest their souls in eternal peace.
Second, I wish those who did this were the Nuer of Bentiu so you guys who keep separating us can succeed to reap what you are attempting to plan.
Third, who begun the looting of Nuer cattle through out the days of our little peace. Have Lakes State ever got satisfied with the oil money from Bentiu or the cattles and all the blood you have been spilling since you became guardians of our land? Just because we don’t cry over pinches does not mean we don’t care. WE DO CARE AND COUNT all the stupid mistakes of the power-craziness that is overwelming you falks.
One thing your greed-consumed few misses is that we still consider you the quardians of our flag but don’t push it.
Jakok
youngdinka
SPLM local official killed in Lakes state
R.I.P Michael Ater Deng, let have a quick silent of Ater Deng.
i believed you lost your life for freedom and give your brothers and sisters to stay in peace. without making southerner to be slave,failed them when they did past back in 1980s till 2005.
murderer you know , you won’t get get away with what your you/all have done to our freedom fighter.
But don’t blame each other with actual evidence to show it, I am Dinka bor,keep it in our/your mind about what Nuer did in 1990s to Dinka Bor’s people and some of Yirol people were killed.
What i read earlier as some people mentioned it could be nuer or its nuer militants or normal nuer did that silly things to our great leader.
Riek Machar when is your time, you make southerner to misuse the peace our great freedom and liberator Col Dr John Garang Mabior Atem and many people that fought for it now called CPA have brought to us.
Hahahahhahhahahhaha Machar shame on you and your tribe .what happened to your fake ass peace agreement known as KPA. you back to southern Sudan.i thought you don’t like Dr John Garang leadership accusing him of using the party as his personal properties as you Riek spoken on your clip sudan massacre. Why have you turn to his party after you have killed many people in Bor randomly maybe for greedy of leadership.
it hard to betray your own brother of something he did’t done.
Go back to your step brother aka NCP
RIP Deng!!!!!!!!!!!