LRA must leave Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria – governor
By Isaac Vuni
Feb 5, 2007 (TORIT) — Southern Sudan Eastern Equatoria State requested the immediate departure of the Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) from its territory accusing them of killing and terrorizing Equartorians.
The governor of Eastern Equatoria state, Brigadier General Aloisio Emor Ojetuk, today, said LRA must leave his territory immediately or else he will authorized state organized forces to evict them by force.
“I cannot longer condone LRA continues killing of my people and at the same time refusing to negotiate for a peaceful solution to their grievances with Uganda ruling government” says the Governor.
He said the LRA have broke out of their designated assembling point at Owinykibul and are now terrorizing people in Magwi and Western Torit counties with impunity.
“I now want Ugandan rebels LRA to go back to their country because they have no reason to fight in our land. If they do not want to leave, force will be used to evict them from Eastern Equatoria state”, remarks Governor Ojetuk.
He went on saying that Ugandan rebels LRA are terrorized and threaten citizens of Ofiriha village in western Torit County even not to take any food stuff from their field because, LRA claim that those crops belong to them.
The rebels LRA claimed that food given to them by Goss under the November 2006 ceasefire agreement, has been deliberately poised in order to finish them, hence, LRA are revenging on southern Sudanese citizens.
The angry Governor Ojetuk, made this statement after receiving reports from his field officers in Magwi and Western Torit, that on February 3rd 2007, LRA has killed two civilians along Mugali-Nimule roads, looted shops and properties of the innocent civilians including harvesting their crops.
Meanwhile the state minister of Agriculture, Mr. Francis Okeny, and arrived Torit last night, said the situation in Magwi County is very bad, “It required urgent action on the Ugandan rebels by both Goss and state government because, he said, “LRA are rooming and terrorizing citizens of southern Sudan at easy in Magwi County.
He said although Governor of the state has deployed organized forces along the roads from Magwi to Torit and Magwi to Nimule, but he has not yet given order for them to attack LRA inside territory of Eastern Equatoria state.
Minister Okeny claimed that 80 Southern Sudanese families have already crossed to Uganda on fears of LRA atrocities in their area.
With the latest killing of two civilians, the total number of Equatorian killed by LRA increased to 5265.
On February 3rd 2007 LRA killed two people between Mugali and Nimule, On February 1st 2007 LRA killed one person at Omeo .On January 25th 2007 LRA killed one UN officer and wounded three.On January 21st 2007 LRA killed two people and one LRA was captured between Magwi and Parajok area. On January 19th 2007 LRA killed one person between Poge and Ame. On January 2nd 2007, LRA killed six and wounded six civilians at Poge, Polataka, Magwi, Panyikwara, opari.
It is to be recalled that LRA has pulled out of Juba peace talks with Ugandan government under the mediation of Government of southern Sudan on January 13th 2007.
(ST)