LRA kill at least two in attack on S. Sudan’s village
May 18, 2009 (LONDON) — Suspected Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) guerrillas have again struck in Western Equatoria, killing at least two at Bakpara village on Sunday, about eight miles from Nzara town.
The LRA insurgency, which originated in Uganda and since has preyed on other regions, has defied a peaceful solution and internationally coordinated efforts to crush it militarily.
According to villagers who fled the attacked village and information from the head of the local arrow boys, the LRA came at about 10 pm.
The murderous assault was all but ignored by WES Governor Jemma Nunu Kumba, said Charles Kisanga, the UK-based leader of the Azande Community World-wide Organisation, who deplored her “indifference,” demonstrated by her attention to 26th anniversary SPLM/A festivities rather than the insecurity.
While the LRA were engaged in looting food and most of the houses in Bakpara village, they shot and hacked at anybody they could find, said the villagers. Most women and children in Bakpara had already been evacuated to Nzara and Yambio but many men had stayed behind to try to guard their possessions and plantations, said Kisanga.
The village is on the way to Sakure, where since March the LRA have been active and displacing thousands of people to the larger towns, Yambio and Nzara. Escaped villagers say more than two people might have been killed and they are still trying to ascertain the whereabouts of missing people. So far two bodies were recovered by arrow boys on Monday and one was taken to Nzara while the other body was taken to Yambio and is now being mourned in Malakia residential area.
Kisanga, who has advocated for a caretaker government to completely replace current post holders ahead of any election in South Sudan, had harsh words for the governor: “The WES Governor’s silence seems like suggesting everything is fine and everybody is enjoying the noble peace delivered by the CPA via SPLA’s armed struggle where already 2 million South Sudanese were estimated to have died for the sake of peace and freedom of South Sudan.”
He added, “We would have been in a great mood to celebrate the 26th Anniversary if our people were enjoying peace but peace for a few when others have no peace is not what SPLM’s liberation struggle was about.
“As such during this 26th SPLM/A anniversary coupled by the displacement, brutalisation and deaths of our people at LRA hands, we would like to renew our appeal to South Sudanese as well as the International Community to help salvage Western Equatoria from the verge of catastrophe because without cultivation and stability, hunger and starvation will start to affect the people of Western Equatoria this year.”
(ST)