Casualty count may be over 40 in attack on UN relief barges
June 14, 2009 (JUBA) – Scores may have been killed Friday when 27 relief barges were intercepted by fighters of the Jikany Nuer group in Upper Nile, resulting in a gunfight with the SPLA soldiers escorting the convoy.
The attack prompted condemnation from the UN, which had sent the barges.
Forty people were killed and 41 others injured in the attack on the World Food Programme convoy, which occurred near Nyariem village, the Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan told the UN-operated radio network.
Civilian fighters were motivated by a desire to keep supplies out of the hands of Lou Nuer groups, whose raiders had massacred 71 Jikany Nuer villagers at Tor Hech (Torkech) in May, including 13 children. That figure includes some who drowned while fleeing across the river.
Because the washed-out roads to Akobo are impassable this time of year, the food must be delivered by river. Nasir has traditionally served as a WFP relief distribution point for such operations.
SPLA spokesman Malaak Ayuen Ajok told Reuters news agency that the armed Jikany demanded to search some of the barges, suspecting they were carrying arms and ammunition to the Lou. After searching one barge, they opened fire when the others continued downriver.
He added that women and children on the boats were killed either by bullets or when they tried to jump overboard.
It is unknown what has happened to 11 of the barges; the other 16 were repulsed and returned to Nasir. UNMIS, the peacekeeping mission, said it was “deeply concerned about the continued blockade on the Sobat River which severely harms trade with the villages upriver, for whom river freight is the only lifeline.”
The food on the barges, some of which may have been looted, was destined for some 18,000 civilians who were displaced by earlier fighting, including when the Murle attacked Akobo County in May.
Barges had been blockaded since May but were allowed to leave Nasir on Friday after high-level negotiations. Nevertheless, the SPLA-escorted convoy was attacked by Jikany fighters some 10 to 20 miles outside of the town.
According to the WFP director in South Sudan, Michelle Iseminger, women and elderly among the Lou Nuer are in need.
Much inter-communal violence has raged thus far without major SPLA involvement, which however is far from unprecedented; SPLA was responsible for decisively defeating the Lou Nuer component of the ‘white army’ in a battle in May 2006 in which over 100 Lou Nuer were killed.
UNMIS stated today that it “urges the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) to work without delay with the local communities to put an end to the ongoing violence and achieve speedy sustainable reconciliation.”
(ST)
junub
Casualty count may be over 40 in attack on UN relief barges
The incident is really alarming among these two communities of Jikany and Lou Nuer. Their fued have reached bitter climex which the intervention of GoSS is highly needed deplomatically but not militerly.
Please let us condemned the armbushing of relief barge convoy by Jikany Nuer but not further blamed them because their act was the revenge to Torkech massacre of May.
To quell the situation, the Lou Nuer should apologized for the insane massacring of innocent elderly, women and children of Jikany Nuer they genocided in Torkech. Ignoring the hurt Lou Nuer inflicted at first place upon Jikany Nuer will widen the fued if the core not addressed.
What the Jikany Nuer did is wrong even if it is a retaliation to what the barbaric Lou Nuer inflicted.
Joseph
Casualty count may be over 40 in attack on UN relief barges
The massacre of Torkech payam is the consequence of all this fighting, because the governments fail to protect the people and properties as we hard the SPLA have been burning village and abduction or sexual abuse to women.
Kindly advising SPLA not to behavior like the time they are in the bush.
Ajuscommando
Casualty count may be over 40 in attack on UN relief barges
Dear Nuer community, I request you in Jesus name to avoid that game of stealing and fight in your life athough we know
Riek Machar has taught you wrong method of managment of life in the world. We know Adam and Eve have ate the plant of death in your land but God has forgiven you for your wrong doing in the south so try you best to change. My advice is that, if you will not stop fighting each other then you finish before others tribes fight you. I believe all the communities in the south have change their characters even Murle who fought you some months have improved their standards of living with others communities while you are still fighting each other.
Ajus
Solomon T.Kang
Casualty count may be over 40 in attack on UN relief barges
It has always been too difficult for other people to understand things, The issue of Jikany, and the rest of Nuer have never been the only case in South Sudan and wuold like to advice those who writes blindly about others. To me yes the case have always been repeating itself but what of Rumbek Agar and Atuot, Western Equatoria and Eastern,Murlee and the other tribes?. you’re not giong to reply anything on to these matters because they are reall and do exists. but the question will be how do we solve them,insulting and these naive comments is waste of money on websites.so please Southern Sudan problems are never Nuer alone there are those whose work is to oot salaries of the all system rather these people have only taken food which was not the intention for them to do. can Government of Southern Sudan deal with the Disarmenment whether it wuold mean deaths that would be better.Solomon T kang