Gelweng militias to have role in Lakes state – Yirol officials
November 21, 2008 (JUBA) – Senior officials of Greater Yirol in Lakes state announced a programme for reconciling an ambitious Southern Sudanese presidential disarmament order with the reality that small arms are widespread among local Gelweng militias.
After concluding a peace conference at the end of October, the officials decided that certain practices should end—composing aggressive songs against other clan sections, for instance, would be punishable by law—but also envisioned a role for the Gelweng in providing for security in the state.
“Gelweng teams in collaboration with local authorities of a given area are to guard against and stop illegal sale and boarding of herds of cattle into commercial barges at Nile specialised docks for that purpose e.g. at Gut Thom, Panhom and Shambe,” said the plan.
Chol Ajok Berech, a member South Sudan Legislative Assembly in Juba, indicated that the document would be signed by three county commissioners—from Yirol West, Awerial and Yirol East—as well as paramount chiefs and executive chiefs.
Gelweng, a term that came during the 22-year north-south civil war, means to protect one’s cow.
Under the proposed programmes, the Gelweng militias would also be given permission to assist chiefs in poll tax collection, execute court verdicts and wear official uniforms as long as they feature Gelweng insignia on the chest and back of the uniform and look different from the dress of other armed forces and law enforcement agencies.
The resolutions called for the formed Gelweng units to be mixed so that they are “not a tribal body. It shall be a reinforcing body to the law enforcement agencies.”
According to Berech, it was resolved that a team of intellectuals would join the Gelweng mobilisation committee and ex-chiefs to tour Greater Yirol “for general enlightenment of masses on the process of reconciliation, peace and unity of the Greater Yirol people.”
Despite the local focus, the Yirol officials said that they were “strongly committed to the SPLM (Sudan People’s Liberation Movement) principles, aims, and objectives.”
They also called on SPLM Chairman Salva Kiir Mayardit to visit Greater Yirol and to authorize people in Yirol East to attend a general conference in Nyang, Jan. 2-15, 2009.
(ST)