Youth leaders call for calm after deadly inter-clan clashes in Lakes state
July 16, 2015 (RUMBEK) – Youth leaders from Lakes state have condemned the Sunday’s deadly clashes between groups of ethnic Dinka clans in the state which left at least 27 people dead on both sides, with thousands of heads of cattle raided.
The devastating Sunday attack on communities of Dinka of greater Yirol counties was organized by a joint pastoralist youth from greater Rumbek counties of Rumbek East, Rumbek Central and Rumbek North who forged the alliance for the purpose of raiding Yirol East and Yirol West counties.
The heavy attack on Papul cattle camp in Yirol West county left 27 people dead including children and women.
Moses Ater, an activist in Rumbek town, capital of Lakes state, said called for measures to be taken by the state government to punish the criminals who devastated the area. He described Lakes state government as a failed administration which could not address cattle raiding related crimes and left firearms in the hands of the civil population.
“State government has hand for ignoring to protect its citizens from both internal and external threat – there are firearms in pastoralists hand and government is not trying to close all leaks whereby weapon are sold from,” he said.
University Students leadership for Bahr el Ghazal University Association in Wau town also condemned the raiding and described it as unwise action. The students association chairman Manyang Kuoi Maluac called for immediate tracking of raided cows to be returned to Yirol counties and the same Yirol counties to return back any cows they looted in the past.
“I need all cows raided from our brothers of greater Yirol to be immediately tracked and returned back to them – the same greater Yirol should do the same to return cows that [they] raided from greater Rumbek counties,” he said.
Kuoi urged greater Yirol pastoralists and its intellectuals to be patient and to advocate for peace and harmony for the people of Lakes state instead of seeking for revenge, saying serving justice through legal means was the best option to stop the cycle of violence in the state.
Lakes state has been hit by insecurity and violence pitting rival Dinka clans against one another, with hundreds of people believed to have been killed over the past few years.
(ST)