Lou Nuer accuses South Sudan army of taking Dinka’s side

To: 1st Lt Gen. H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardiit

First Vice president of the Republic of the Sudan

President of the South Sudan

Chairman of the SPLM/A

We the Lou Nuer Youth Association (LNYA) want to be clear and to the point in this press statement and with its totality, that we deny the accusation by the government security agencies and Journalists against the Lou-Nuer community who launched the retaliated attack on Duk County. We want to inform the world and the Sudanese people in particular that those who have carried out the recent attack on Duk County on Sunday, September 20, 2009 are ordinary civilians and not Militia as alleged by the said authorities. As we speak, the Greater Akobo is in full control of the SPLA forces and if there are militias in the area we believe their first attack would have been on the SPLA forces at Renk the way to Malakal. If the SPLA forces failed to repel them still they would have had attacked Uror, Nyirol, or Akobo in Lou-Nuer land and not Duk County as reported by the Media.

We have been preaching unity and peaceful co-existence between the Southern Sudanese tribes for the period of eight months now, but this time we are going to write differently because the Jonglei State Government (JSG) and the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) have taken side with the Dinka Bor, and we also have right to take side with our community in whatever cost.

When Mundari and Bari tribes fought against themselves, SPLA did not intervened as well as on Warrap and Lake State tribal conflicts. The same in Jonglei, when the Lou-Nuer followed their cattle in Pibor (Murle area) and when the Murle came back to Lou-Nuer of Akobo County for revenge on April 17-18, SPLA troops did not intervened. The same goes with the Eastern Equatoria tribal conflicts with Murle, no SPLA forces have ever intervened. However, when the Lou-Nuer or Murle are fighting with Dinka Bor, both state government, SPLA and police forces always intervened. Given these reasons, we can say that SPLA Army is being used to protect Dinka Bor and Dinka community in general. Lou-Nuer Community must and will not tolerate another oppression in the hand of SPLA leadership just like before 1991..

The SPLA leadership and its security agents are now working day and night mobilizing the SPLA forces to Jonglei in defense of Dinka Bor. The SPLA is always protecting the Dinka Bor not only in Jonglei, but all over the Southern Sudan and that is wrong. The famous example, is whenever the Dinka Bor are leaving Nimuli or Pageri area in Eastern Equatoria they are usually being accompanied by SPLA soldiers armed with machine guns and 12-7.

We strongly advice the President of GoSS, Salva Kiir Mayardiit, the Minister of Internal Affairs, H.E. Gier Chuang Aloung, and the Governor of Jonglei State H.E. Eng. Kuol Manyang Juuk to be careful on how they are handling the Jonglei insecurity and specially the planned disarmament ; or else, we will stand in solidarity with our community. Having said that, the LNYA would like to make it clear to the JSG and the GoSS under the 1st Lt. General Salva Kiir Mayardiit that if the Lou-Nuer is going to be disarmed first as we have heard then please expect a full resistance from our civilians.

We also wanted to make it clear that all these problems come because of the Duk County’s Commissioner Mr. Mayen Ngor and Governor Kuol who have taken side with their community instead of serving the entire Jonglei State as national figures. Therefore, if there are people who will be brought to justice then we do not need to look further than Kuol Manyang and Mayen. Kuol Manyang and Mayen Ngor are accountable for the recent death in Duk County. “Justice Delay is justice denied”

In 2006 disarmament, Lou-Nuer community lost over 7,000 herds of cattle. These 7,000 cattle were taken by the SPLA soldier and instead of giving them back to the Lou-Nuer community or the GOSS they were distributed to Dinka Bor community. The disarmament of 2006 turned out to be biased against one community; therefore, Lou-Nuer had asked JSG and the GOSS for compensation for the damage that the disarmament had caused, but no action from the both governments.

In May 2007, Hol and Nyarweng Dinka attacked Lou-Nuer in the toic area and took around 25,000 herds of cattle. This was reported to the JSG and the office of the Governor promised Lou to bring back their cattle that they should not launch any attack against the Duk County “until the government failed to bring them back, Juuk said in Big Tone”. And Lou nodded in agreement.

In March 2009, the Twic East and Duk Communities attacked Lou at Rolker and killed seven people including two children who were left hanging on the tree for birds to feed on. This incident happened when the Lou-Nuer went to Murle to return their cattle. When the Lou-Nuer returned from Murle and they discovered that Duk community took advantage of their absent, then they planned to attack Duk county, but they were advised by the State delegations led by the Deputy Governor, Mr. Hussein Mar and Dr. Marial Benjamin and the rest of the Lou-Nuer Councils from the state and the National level that the road to Lou will be opened and the wildlife officers who were killed as well as all the money and cattle that were taken will be compensated. In March – April 2009, the peace team presented their findings to the state government, and in response the state authority organized a peace conference in conjunction with the Southern Sudan Peace Commission and Pact Sudan for the following counties:

• Twic East

• Duk

• Ayod

• Uror

• Nyirol

In the conference the aforementioned resolutions and recommendation, which were submitted by the Lou-Nuer civilians to the peace team were agreed for full implementation by the JSG who failed to show any concern till date. The Lou community again reminded the JSG through ceasefire committee in late April that if our grievances are not addressed, then we will bring back our property from Duk through any other mean.

Therefore, our people fought with the Duk community due to the reasons which are well known both to the JSG and the GOSS. The fight was between the two civilians however, the Duk authority and the SPLA forces, and National Security aggressively intervened with higher magnitude which was not expected of them and weight heavy machines guns against Lou civilians. We are left wondering how National army could be testing its military capacity with its own citizen, which contradict its constitutional duty.

Please refer to the bellow reason for your perusal:

A.. The road to three counties of Lou-Nuer was closed by the Twic East and Duk Counties to prevent food aid and developmental strategies from reaching people in Lou, and the State Government sat silently without doing anything, which sent strong message to the Lou-Nuer Community that the State Authority is cooperating with the people of Twic East and the Duk Counties.

B. The traders are always being harassed and threatened that if you go beyond Duk, you are going to be viewed as Nyagat and you will be killed. This term Nyagat was condemned by the Late Dr. John Garang De Mabior, and we the LNYA strongly agreed with late condemnation, because the term seems to be dividing the Southern Sudan alongside their national interest. We see these as tactics and strategies to deprive Lou-Nuer community from Services.

C. On January 11, 2009, Seven wildlife officers were killed on their way to Nyirol County and 93,000 (Ninety three thousand Sudanese pounds only of the County education salaries and development were also taken by the Duk Community as a plan from the Duk Commissioner Mr. Mayen Ngor to prevent manpower and services to get to the Lou-Nuer of Nyirol County.

D. Four million of Sudanese Pounds belongs to Ayod County were also robbed on the way to their area by the Duk people on August 8, 2009 and nothing was done up to now.

E. On November 29, 2007, 7 people from Murle Community who were in Bor hospital for treatment were murdered inside the Capital of Jonglei while the City belongs to all the citizens of Jonglei. Neither did the JSG investigate the incident nor did it bring these criminals to justice. (Philip Thon Leek is accountable for this incident).

F. In May 2009, With the knowledge of the Governor, Kuol Manyang, group of Dinka Bor were transported with the JSG cars from Bor to Pibor to fight Murle and most of them lost their lives in the fight and these were the national army whose role were to defense the civil population of Southern Sudan, as stipulated in the army interim Constitution.

G. Why should state government deploy National Security forces in Twic East and Duk Counties and not in Lou-Nuer, Murle or in other counties in Jonglei state or southern Sudan in general?

The State Authority under Lt. General Mr. Kuol Manyang did not take any action on the following issues:

1. No delegation was sent to Duk County to investigate the killing of wildlife officers and all those who were killed in the related ambush neither was the 93,000 SDG eturned as well.

2. The Commissioner of Duk County who is known to many people to have had handful responsibility in the killing of the wildlife officers was not summon or subjected to law by the Governor of the State and its Assembly.

3. The criminals who have killed 2nd Lt. Cde Gai Chuol Reath have not been held accountable yet for what they have done.

4. One of our greatest disappointment as Lou Nuer youth is that the government through its security personnel (Maj. Gen. Gier Chuang and Lt. Gen. Majak Agot) quickly seek possible intervention applied on one side in victim’s transportation to the military hospital in Juba. This proved to us that the people who fought the Lou civilians were purely SPLA and the National Security forces. SPLA indeed is confirmed to have killed the Lou wounded on ground in Duk and not to forget UNMIS selective intervention in their rescued plan.

5. Pajut border dispute:
In reference to series of meetings conducted by community chiefs in Uror, it has been clearly spelt out that Pajut issue is subject to discussion. It was brought up during Bor conference, amicable solutions were promised by the state government. One of the solutions is to give back the land to the rightful owners, but zero implementation was shown; hence, this aggravated the community and went back to the post conflict as the solution for their answer.

The Lou-Nuer grievances against the GOSS that have contributed to the attack on Duk County and could still generate another attack if are not resolved soon.

The bellows are the grievances as follow:

1) The JSG and GOSS should start implementing simultaneous disarmament throughout Jonglei State and Southern Sudan at large without singling out one community.

2) We want the First Vice President of the Republic of the Sudan and President of the GoSS, and Jonglei State Governor to legally prove the existence of militias in Lou-Nuer area which both of them had openly aired on Media on Monday, September 21, 2009 (SSTV and Sudan Radio Service).

3) We are asking the General Chief of Staff and the President of the GoSS, as well as the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Head of National Security as to why they always sent SPLA forces when it comes Lou-Nuer conflict with Dinka Bor??

4) The LNYA questioned the role of SPLA forces as per the Constitution. We thought after the CPA, SPLA force should have been in full protection of the civilian and the integrity of the Southern Sudan territory.

The LNYA is hereby asking the JSG to immediately implement the following resolutions and recommendations as soon as possible.

1. To ensure freedom of movement of both communities, investors, and government services to every corner of Jonglei State.

2. We call upon the JSG to immediately implement the resolutions and recommendations which were passed on the 14 May 2009 at Dr. John Garang Institute in Bor.

3. We call upon the Jonglei State Legislative Assembly (JSLA) to relocate the State Headquarter to a neutral ground which will not be owned by any community and accessible to all communities.

Finally, but not the least we the LNYA urge both the JSG and GoSS to see the outlined issues as outstanding factors that generated the recent conflict in Duk County. Therefore, we are appealing to the government to find a lasting solution for all these issues or else we will be obliged and stand in solidarity with our community, and this will be the time when the Lou-Nuer community shall define their own destiny.

Signed by
Lou-Nuer Youth Association (LNYA)

Juba- Southern Sudan

Cc: H.E. VP GOSS Dr Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon

Cc: Hon Speaker Goss Assembly H.E. Wani Igga

Cc: Deputy C in C 1ST Lt. Gen. Paulino Matip

Cc: Minister of SPLA Affairs H.E. Nhial Deng Nhial

Cc: General Chief of Staff 2nd Lt .Gen. James Hoth Mai

Cc: Minister of Internal affairs H.E. Gier Chuang Aluong

Cc: Head of the National Security. Gen. Majak Agot

Cc: Governor of Jonglei state H..E. Eng. Lt.Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk

Cc: Lou Nuer Leadership Council