71 killed in intertribal fighting in Lakes State
By Manyang Mayom
July 24, 2006 (RUMBEK) — Fighting has broken out between the Gok clans and Agar clans’ tribes of western Lakes State due to cattle rusting which resulted in the dead of (71) citizens with many more wounded. This occurred on the 12th -21stof July while the first Vice-president Salva Kiir Mayardit was visiting Rumbek town.
The clashes in Rumbek West are still storming side-shadows of night killing and incognito people coming out from Western Bhar-El-Gazal to Lakes State.
“Death in Rumbek has no end at all, when you had completed one days eating your breakfast and meat, therefore you must to be careful in sleeping night hours in case of revenged from unknown family groups”, said Sudan Tribune correspondent to describe the volatile security situation in the area.
The problem started on the aforementioned date when young men from the Gok went on a cattle rusting mission to the nearby Agar area of the Nyang Clan which consists of many others clan to form Kuei.
The Cattle rustlers managed to surprise the Nyang cattle camp as they were able to tie up the main guards who were armed with the AK47 rifles as was the raiders who away with over 300 head of cattle. People from the Nyang clan with young men followed the track of the stolen cows were conducted and concluded. The stolen cattle were returned to their owners.
On their way back something unexpected happened. The idea of returning the stolen cattle was not welcomed by some Gok clans’ responsible officials such as the Cueibet County Commissioner who was reported to have totally disagreed with decision to return back the cattle to the Agar Nyang Clan.
The Commissioner was reportedly said to have ordered the army in his County to lay an ambush and prevent the cattle from being returned to their rightful owners. His argument was that Agar had taken Gok cattle in a similar way before. This decision to way lay the cattle was tragic.
Once the cattle arrived at the ambush site, fire was opened and many Agar accompanying the cattle were killed and their cattle were returned to Gok County. This action by the Gok spurred the Nyang young men to take up their AK47 rifles to fight the Gok.
As a result 71 citizens were killed on both-side. All of this happened while the president of South Sudan and the First Vice-President of Sudan Lt.Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit was in Rumbek. Included in his entourage was the GOSS Interior minister H.E. Daniel Awet Akot who hails from the Gok area. President Kiir immediately dispatched Awet and the Lakes State Governor H.E. Brigadier John Lat Zechariah who is also from the area of Gok clan, to the trouble spot to resolve the issue amicably.
Unconfirmed reports say that the negotiations had been successful and the stolen cattle were to be returned back to the rightful owners.
The whole of Lakes State has become like the United State (US) western frontier states in the 19th century with gun toting as the hallmark of maturity that is allowed by law. Every young man was well armed with a pistol, a knife and a shot gun. Here in the Lakes State the situation is more or less the same worse indeed. Men of all ages are armed with AK47, Pistol gun and they are not from the military, therefore if the whole state citizens are armed with guns which had made the traditional weapon, the spear, Obsolete then any small dispute will be resolved with the use of fire arms between citizens at the heavy cost of lives.
“It is the duty of the state government to protect the lives of it citizens by collecting all illegal arms from those citizens who posses these deadly arms as dictated by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)” people say here in Rumbek.
Already guns had been collected by forces in other States. “Why is this not applied in the Lakes State instead of encouraging citizens to settle their scores with gunfire and the unnecessary lost of lives”.
Nowadays here in Rumbek, insecurity of traditional stick is host going on illegally which always resulted of beating the official in the town during the night hours. It had happened sometime that schoolboys are tracked by the cattle rusting beating them with black type stick. It look deem automatically dead on sports.
(ST)