Jonglei raids injure one in Twic East County

October 29, 2012 (BOR) – One person was wounded on Monday 29 October in an attack on Baping village of Twic East County according to County Commissioner, Dau Akoi Jurkuch. The suspects, Jurkuch said, are either members of rebel group of David Yau Yau or cattle raiders from Murle ethnic tribe, both of which are based in Pibor County.

“The herders were attacked at twelve noon by a huge armed group in Baping in Nyuak Payam, after they took their cattle for grazing”, the Commissioner told Sudan Tribune by phone from his base in Panyagoor.

The Commissioner claimed that the Murle were still armed despite a statewide disarmament campaign that began in March in response to large scale clashes between Jonglei’s ethnic groups over cattle and abductions.

Not only had the Murle avoided the disarmament campaign but they were receiving further weapons from David Yau Yau’s rebel group, Akoi said. South Sudan accuses neighbouring Sudan of backing the rebellion in order to destablize the young nation. This is denied by Khartoum.

Akoi, said the wounded person was initially taken to Panyagoor hospital but due to the seriousness of his injuries was transferred to Bor hospital which has better medical services.

“He was shot on the high, and he has serious bone fractures”, he added.

Commissioner Akoi said the injured man told him that around 100 attackers entered and left through the western part of Twic East County, indicating that the assailants were from neighbouring Pibor County.

“Now they ran to the Eastern bank of the swamp area, this another fear because who knows when they will return and what they will do again”, he said.

Police managed to rescue the stolen cattle and followed them to Twic County’s eastern border, where they found where the raiders had gathered before the attack.

“The policemen who followed them found where they gathered in the morning, they are very many”, Akoi added.

Two weeks ago, three people were killed in Twic East in another attempted raid causing the Commissioner to ask for more forces to be deployed in the area to protect people from cattle raiders and rebel attacks.

“I always complained to the government to give more forces but nothing has been done. I still ask once again to give us more soldiers to protect civilians”, said Akoi.

Last week, four people were injured in Niew-Niew village of Akobo County near Walgak by raiders who were in military uniform according to Koak Mayian, one of the victims Sudan Tribune met in Bor Hopital.

Gatwech Puol Teny, a 14-year-old boy from Akobo County sustained live threatening injuries to his chest. Doctors at Bor civil hospital said some of his veins and arteries and spleen has been injured by the gun fire. His left arm was maimed by the same gunfire. One of the doctors said he was have his arm amputated once he reaches Juba, as they were preparing for immediate transfer.

An woman, who was eight months pregnant was also killed. Two others were injured in Bor County in other suspected raids over the last two weeks.

Reacting to the deteriorating security situation in Jonglei, the government announced over local radio that civilian disarmament would be suspended until the threat from Yau Yau’s rebel group had been dealt with.

The Jonglei disarmament campaign was launched by the South Sudan government to restore inter-communal peace among the state’s six tribes of Murle, Dinka, Nuer, Anuak, Kachipo and Jie.

Sudan Tribune‘s attempts to contact the commissioner of Pibor and the SPLA spokesman failed due to bad cell phone connection.

(ST)