Lakes: Five people shot in Rumbek clashes
July 16, 2013 (RUMBEK) – Members of South Sudan’s police and army in Lakes state clashed with a group of cattle herders in Rumbek East county on Monday, leaving three pastoralists and two soldiers with gunshot wounds.
The clash occurred after Lakes state authorities – under military caretaker Governor Maj-Gen Matur Chut Dhuol – instructed the police’s criminal investigation department and division six of South Sudan’s army (SPLA) to launch a joint operation to apprehend a murder suspect.
Monydiar Maker, who is suspected of killing Rakon Mayek last week in Rumbek town near the Lakes state parliament, managed to avoid capture.
Eyewitnesses told Sudan Tribune that the fighting occurred in Gorok, around 16 kilometres from the main public road, where Panyon tribesmen had entered the area apparently to visit family members.
The security services are believed to have followed the cattle herders and opened fire on them using heavy machine guns and AK47s, leaving three pastoralists and a young boy with gunshot wounds.
“One cattle keeper was shot and his arm was broken, I see two soldiers with gunshot wound, one solider was shot at his knee and another solider was shot at his leg”, said an eyewitness who spoke on condition anonymity.
A young man from the Amongping clan of the Dinka ethnic group, who also requested anonymity, claimed that the two soldiers who sustained gunshot wounds had been accidentally shot by their colleagues. He said that the cattle herders had not returned fire as they were clearly outgunned and outnumbered.
He accused the security services of committing human rights abuses against Lakes state’s pastoralist youth, saying this was the third attack of its kind so far this year.
“Two young men and one child were first shot dead last February in Marialbek cattle camp and another young man was tortured to death at Langcok last June”, he said, referring to the military prison established by the new governor.
Dhuol was installed as caretaker governor by South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir, in January after his predecessor, Chol Tong Mayay, was sacked, apparently for not addressing insecurity and fighting between rival cattle herding groups.
However, the member of the Amongping youth said that the new governor was replacing “insecurity with insecurity”.
A senior security officer in Lakes state told Sudan Tribune that the army and police were acting on directives issued by the governor, but did not elaborate on whether they were instructed to use force or peaceful means to apprehend the murder suspect.
Speaking on state radio on Monday, Dhuol said that the rule of law must be imposed on anyone suspected of committing a crime.
He explained a disarmament campaign was currently underway in all eight counties of Lakes state. As part of the operation, Dhuol earlier gave civilians the option of paying 350 South Sudanese pounds (SSP) to register their weapons rather than hand them over to authorities.
However, Dhuol said that “despite my earlier gun registration [offer]… disarmament must take place immediately across eight counties either [by] forceful or peaceful [means].”
(ST)