MSF guard among dead in south Sudan tribal violence
November 30, 2007 (JUBA, Sudan) — A Sudanese employee of medical group Medecins Sans Frontieres and his father were among those killed while trying to escape tribal violence that erupted inside an MSF hospital in south Sudan, the group said on Friday.
James Agut, an MSF guard who had been in hospital in the southern town of Bor seeking medical treatment when the violence occured, was among four people attacked while in a car inside the MSF compound and killed, MSF said in a statement.
A senior Sudanese official said three other Sudanese had also been beaten to death outside the MSF compound, bringing the total death toll in Thursday’s violence to seven.
“The mob broke into the MSF compound, saw the people were locked up in the car, broke the windows and then beat them to death. Four were killed. Another three were killed outside,” said Philip Thon Leek, governor of Jonglei state where the violence occurred. He said he had seen all seven bodies.
MSF, which made no mention of any deaths outside of its compound, said Agut was among eight Sudanese patients and family members, including a baby, who were evacuated from the hospital after tribal fighting broke out inside.
The group fled to an MSF vehicle that was outside the hospital but within the MSF compound and were attacked while they were in the car. Of those in the car, four were killed, one injured and three including the baby escaped unharmed because they hid under the car’s benches, MSF said.
MSF called the killings an “outrageous act” that would affect its ability to provide medical care in Bor hospital.
“The disrespect shown by the people who chose to extend their fighting into the hospital and our compound is absolutely intolerable,” said Meinie Nicolai, Operational Director for MSF in Brussels.
TRIBAL CONFLICT SPILLOVER
The violence was a spillover from an ethnic conflict over cattle that had broken out between members of the Murle tribe and the Bor Dinka on Wednesday in which more than two dozen people were killed, Leek said.
He said 27 people had been killed and 39 wounded when members of the Murle tribe attacked a Bor Dinka cattle camp, and that wounded from both sides had been taken to the same ward of the MSF hospital in Bor, leading to a fracas.
Tribal violence has continued to plague the semi-autonomous south Sudan, which is rife with small weapons, despite a 2005 peace agreement that ended a north-south civil war in which 2 million people died and 4 million were displaced.
The violence followed tribal conflict in July in which cattle raids and revenge attacks in Jonglei state killed 56.
MSF said at the time of the killings, it had been treating 23 people brought in overnight with injuries sustained in clashes between tribes, but gave no further details.
“From our compound and inside the hospital we treat everybody who needs medical care and people from different tribes often lie side by side in the wards,” Nicolai said.
MSF said most staff were being flown out of Bor for counselling, although it planned to keep a small team in the hospital to minimise interruption to its medical services.
Leek said soldiers had been deployed in Bor town — dominated by the Bor Dinka but increasingly home to a mix of ethnic groups — to stop further fighting. But he said some Murle planned to leave the town fearing for their lives.
(Reuters)
James James
MSF guard among dead in south Sudan tribal violence
There is one thing that Bor should remember though they are on offensive with Murle at the monent.Murle had a culture that oppose killing of women, elderly and kids, that is a pure element known in Murle tradition. since 1980s Murle who might have gone to attack Bor villages for cattle do spare kids women and elderly leave alone those who are sick, reaching to midst of 80s and 90s, Bor though they came under white sheet as SPLA soldiers went to Murle land and massacred women. elderly and children mercilessly.
The good example is pulled from the massacre committed against Murle in 1989 in a place called Bichibich and the one that took place in Kengen in 1988, where women and children were gethered and burn a live inside huts, those incidents brought a wake up call for Murle to start reversing part of their culture of sparing children, women plus elderly and begin killing everybody indiscriminately when they fight with Bor.
Now, again Bor went ahead to kill already bedridden Murle in hospital, for me that is going to ring a different bell with every strange sound to Murle ears. Murle are people who knows what does it mean when you go for fight, and normally Murle believe that, men is there to defend the cows,family and therefore vulanerable to die any time. But the death like the one that had just taken place in Bor hospital, is not acceptable at all.
In other hand, Bor have right to defend themselves from any body who want to come & grap their belongings, this include Murle whom they normally accusses of raiding cattles from them, and I don’t think there is any body in this world who may dispute Bor from killing Murle who come to their village and attack them, but the case of killing patients in the hospital sound little bit weird.
This kind of killing may brand Bor as weak and cowards to face strong young men like them who come to their cattle camp and instead took thier frustrations from weak dead ones.
Lastly, there are a lot of Bor elit who read and write good, but the language that they use is so contradictory to thier education levels, I see most of them are acting as ring leaders within the circle of this fight, this is not the way we can bring our people to the harmony, most of you terms Murle as barbaric and murderes, now what do you who incite violent between our own people call yourself today,in addition, when are you going to see one from Murle writing and cited against Bor tribe or you think they don’t have somebody who can write on the internet ?
Please if you read this and you are studentor official, I want you to question yourselve and be the judge for your own thinkings. I know most of you are in the west, if so, is it the spirit we want to bring back to our people tomorow or we are going to change this soon ?
Remember also that, Murle and Bor have been neighbours for centuries and I don’t think Murle will exterminate Bor nor Bor will clean Murle completely out of map thogh most of them do rally for government troop to wipe Murle out, that will not happen, ever, ever, all we can potentially achieve is hatred and taking of innocent lives from our own belove brothers and sisters, that need to stop.
Again, our leaders seem to lean on one other’s tribes, is it the way we got to solve our differences, I don’t think so. Well, when are we going to stop hating each other and come together as Southerners, neighbours and people who worry about thier national problems, you know sometimes, am stern by the reports given by Mr. Thon leek who is now the governor of Jongolei, because most of the report don’t even close to the truth and I sometimes refuse to accept as really repports sent by him.
So Murle and Bor stop still for a while and let think together the way we are heading now to.
Kizth M.
MSF guard among dead in south Sudan tribal violence
Peace is what you need.
the Murle and the Dinka of Bor need to work on peace and nobody will bring it to them except themselve.
There is no pride in killing just because it was done in the past.
the two community need to start reconciliation process.
God Bless
James James
MSF guard among dead in south Sudan tribal violence
Guys I understand your feeling and I know what is going on in our region/ state, the fact that Bor want to revenge against Murle for what Murle did to them earlier is not a problem at all,but the thing that will send everybody to frown is the the allegation that, there are SPLA vehicles which are giving Bor civilians some logistical support against Murle. Now, it become so difficult to understand whether the group between Murle-bor border are SPLA or pure Bor civilians who want to revenge.
And the thing in other hand that worries me is not because Murle is going to be wiped out of the map us some of you put it in previous articles, the thing is that, if government is getting their hands on directly or indirectly, is it not going to disablized our government ?
Bor-Murle problem should not be nationalized, and we should not allow this peace which every citizen in Southern Sudan enjoys get ruined by us as we try to avoid the whole nation to laod us with blames.
Regarding Ismael, brothers, let me be honest with you, Ismael has nothing to do with what those criminals are doing, I remember, sometime back, certain group of criminals were even trying to shot him for being anti all these actions. raiding is just like salary which you normally recieve and use for your own expenses, no Murle young raider that come with what he may got and give Ismael a piece.
Remeber also that, there are some you (Bor) who used to sell children to Murle and I think that is a criminal act itself, and I think those who practice those activities didn’t not inform Garang or Abil Alier at all they just do what they want to do.likewise I would not even think Ismael could know whoever decide to go and raid for whatever reason, while he (Ismael) is busy with government work in Juba or Khartoum by then.
Regarding stolen kids again, there is very sophisticated stories at this point, I run across a lot of accusations against Murle over child abduction issue, somebody had even stated the number of stolen kids to be as high as 450,But the question is that, among this 450, is there anybody, I don’t care whether from Murle or Bor who tried to minus the the children sold to Murle from the above figure ?
That is where I couldn’t find myself a clue here, therfore, we need to ask ourselves, can we do something or let things go the way they are, I think we better try to get a change, those who died have died and can not resurrect them at all, so should we compaign for another death within our people, I think the answer is no. Then it is time to act, I think Murle should really try hard to punish or bring those who cause pain to others to justice, Bor should also stop brutalities against Murle who travel to Bor for their businesses because these are things which fuel tribal differences, also my friend Liber mentioned, we don’t want to see those who are innocent being unfortunately victimized as war normaaly don’t discriminate. yet we don’t want young kids to live in fear again in Bor community, we need to do something for real.
Lastly, let me ask simple question, where is government here ?
According to my own look up, there is little abit failure in our government, both central and state governments,war between Bor,Nuer and Murle has been going on for quiet sometimes, where is solution for this, first the worst failure I discovered is the way government built police system, how in the world, police structure has look moreless like village bench court, you find in Pibor 100% of police there are all Murle, the same thing in Bor, do you thing there is reall existance of fair imposement of law ? I personally doubt that, Police should look like government office with blended leadership, police posts should be maintaint between Bor- Murle border to check and arrest those criminals, I think that will change things to certain degree.
In conclusion, let try to work for peace that will bring Murle and Bor to harmony traquality,friendship ,multiculturalism to state and best business between themselves again as it was in past days.
James James
MSF guard among dead in south Sudan tribal violence
Mr. Dual:
You might be talking next to the huge bottle of wind if not whisky brother, First your name suggest to me that, you might be from Lou Nuer,excuse me if I put you in wrong category.
Before I proceed, can I ask you to expalain to me what do you want this problem to be handled because I see strong opposition about peace between Bor and Murle, what do you want ?
Still if you are Lou Nuer, when have you become human right activist ? do you think what Murle is doing is worst than what Lou Nuer did to Bor 1991 brother ?
Well, well ,well,I think I got what you want, all you want is for the government of south sudan to go and finish Murle, that will not happen as that will creat very graphic scence that you have never seen before, Murle are not going to accept any massacre like what SPLA under Garang leadership did to Murle in 1988 and 89. We were seeing that as government activities against pro-government militia, but this time, it will be clearly mark as declaration of war between Murle and whatever tribe leading war against us.
Lou Nuer had just came last month and attack Murle villages, in that attack, 28 Murle lost their life and you didn’t call SPLA/GOSS to go and kill you people, so if you rally for Murle massacre, please brother, no Murle across the world will wait to retaliate.
But I knoow people who are in leadership are not just like you, they are leaders because they have better thinking then yours or mind and I don’t think they think day and night about finish Murle rather then South North problem.
Also don’t pretend like Lou Nuer are law abiding people, remind you of your (Lou Nuer) recent attacks against Murle, other Nuer and most importantly the recent open letter sent by Anyuak to president Kiir regarding their ( Anyuak) land being graped by you.
Dual, please don’t let me say a lot,because your own Lou Nuer can not live in peace, that is why some you (Lou NUer) have to come and find peaceful heaven in Murle land.
Now the happiness they have among Murle is an happiness that they have never had.in fact I was expecting a word of appreciation from Lou Nuer community to Murle not something like a piece of trash like what you wrote. Please lean to have some knowledge of peace and nationality not a pool of tribalism.
James James
MSF guard among dead in south Sudan tribal violence
Thank you Mr. willy for your honesty, you know everybody in the family don’t eat equal amont of food, look exactly alike or behave completly the same, not in Bor or Nuer and the same thing is in Murle too.
I always want to be very clear with only single Point of trying let everybdy knows that, those who attack Bor or Nuer are just few criminals who may possibly steal my own goat or cow eif I don’t pay good attention to my animals regardless of being Murle myself, yet there are also bad thieves in Bor who can even steal a child and bring it for sell in Murle land, and all Bor don’t do this.But there are people who see this oppose, I don’t know why ? if so, why goverment should go and attack entire population instead of hunting for the criminals.
Willy, I think you are one of Jongkoth who knows or tell truth sometimes, I know a lot of Bor went to school, But most of them seem to graduate with degree from the faculty of tribalism and extermination, Look, don’t think Murle cann’t lost good people in these wars, we lost very brave strong and good people from SPLA wars,Bor, or Nuer fights, but I don’t think I frown at you because of what somebody whom I don’t know might done few years ago, not at all.
Willy, if Bor want to live side by side with other people, they need to stop harassing others in town like Bor shared by all of us as our state headquarter.
We Murle prefer somebody who kill us then the one who insult our dignity, imagine, how can we live together when some of you curse our people, insult them in market places, workshops and even in health or government offices down there in Bor, this is not acceptable even to the slave.
Many of you term Murle as people who live in jungle, I sometimes laugh hard, jungle ? can you who might have come to the towns like Nairobi, Khartoum still believe Murle live in Jungle, what about Bor ? live in high rise towers and permenant houses ? why should people love to pronounce words that don’t match the context on the ground.
Please talk to your people to correct their filthy behavours and we will try to calm those criminal in Murle down the way we are going to do it.
Daul pop up to be Bor now, he is against Riak Machar, what about Garang who killed Murle in 1980s ? and what about Nyandeng who gave Bor vehicles for attacking Murle, her days are not numbered, then that had become process of tribalism, let the past go and leave Riak alone.