Call for international intervention against LRA in Sudan’s WES and DR of Congo

3rd November 2008 —
Reports reaching Azande world organisation headquarters in UK from Yambio continue to speak of thousands of Azande refugees fleeing LRA atrocities from DR, Congo and as well as Western Equatoria lands on the boarder areas of Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo and Central African Republic (CAR).

Over the past two months thousands have been left homeless and dozens killed and hundreds abducted to train as forced army of the LRA. Since the 17th of September 2008 when the rebels attacked Sakure Payam of WES (18 miles from Yambio) the LRA rebels have attacked and looted people and churches in all the areas of Bangbi, Bayote and Duru. LRA rebels did not spare the churches either and the Catholic Church in Duru suffered badly and three priests were tortured and LRA took prisoner the 50 seminaries students there.

On Saturday 1st November 2008 the RLA attacked the major town in Northern DR of Congo called Dungu which is about 50 miles from Sudan boarder. Because of the fact the tribes along the boarder sometimes have families straddling the arbitrary boundaries created by colonialists in the eighteenth century, many people in Sudan also have family members sometimes across the boarder in Congo and attacks inside Congo directly affect people in Sudan when relatives running form there to take shelter in Sudan’s WES and also in general finding means to help those people plus those displaced within Sudan’s WES. Already before the latest attack on Dungu on Saturday 1st November 2008, LRA atrocities had made refuges pour into most assumed peaceful Western Equatoria payams and as of 1st November the figures were as follows of refuges and internal displaced were as follows:

1. Gangura Payam 5472 people – most of them women and children

2. Yambio Town 532 people

3. Sakure Payam 696 people

4. Sakure 589 people

Even without these refugees and internal displaced in Western Equatoria , Western Equatoria was a place where people were barely struggling to make ends meet. There has been practical zero development since the signing of the Sudan Peace agreement, the CPA, in 2005, a peace agreement which saw some peace returning after some 22 years of war. But the Government in Juba which itself is struggling with impossible economic conditions bad governance and under-development has little money to spare and so services and development has been nil in Western Equatoria. Even money to pay fully to local Government employees is lacking and so there has been situations where only 75% of the salaries are paid to some civil servants.

Hence it is a tragic that the RLA have now chosen this vast area of Equatoria area as their base to recruit forced soldiers and to pillage for food. Since WES citizens are predominately agriculture the LRA actives in WES will mean food harvest for 2008 are greatly diminished or collapsed totally which will mean great hunger now and in coming year.

The WES community leaders and elders recently met in Yambio and drafted a petition to the GoSS and hoping that the Governor can hand this to Goss and SPLM leadership to act to help them face off LRA and the unfolding disaster . Besides that the people also wanted urgent intervention by humanitarian organisations especially the UN to act to avert the issues from exacerbating like that happening in Eastern Congo. With recent attacks in Dungu estimates of people on the move and displaced by the LRA and straddling the DR Congo and Sudan may run into over 100,000. Such big number of people need, food, shelter, sanitation, medicines, and clean water. Also there is need to think about schools for children and means for earning a living for the people as the move.

Hence Zande community world-wide is appealing to all Humanitarian organisations to come to the aid of the people of Western Equatoria as well as D R of Congo. We also appeal to all Azande community world wide members for urgent unity of action to help their people their people and land from barbaric LRA atrocities. It is certain that many people from Wes are now affected directly with LRA atrocities including the chairman who knows people who have families members such as young boys or girls abducted by the LRA.

Charles B. Kisanga
Eng. Kisanga is former SPLM NLC member and currently chairman of Western Equatoria Azande Community World-Wide Organisation. He is currently living and working in exile in the UK and he can be reached on [email protected] Tel: 44-770 8998373