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Sudan Tribune

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Murle leader says much disturbed by cattle wrestling in Jonglei

By Ngor Arol Garang

August 10, 2009 (JUBA) — The leader of the Jonglei State Murle tribe, Chief Ismail Konyi, today said he is very much disturbed by atrocious cattle wrestling activities taking place in the state of Jonglei.

“I have never thought of such heinous acts be committed by none other than residents of the same area just because of each tribe wanting to own more cattle than the other,” said Konyi who is also a Presidential Adviser at the presidency of southern Sudan government.

The GOSS presidential advisor on peace and reconciliation further added that the level tribal conflict has reached in the state is far beyond reconciliation.

The Murle ethnic group, in Pibor, Jonglei state is considered as the most heavily armed community in southern Sudan. The semi autonomous government has failed to disarm the fighters of this tribe who are involved in children abduction and cattle wrestling.

The ancestral mistrust between the Murle and their neighbors from Lou Nuer and Dinka tribes complicates efforts to reconcile the smallest tribe in Jonglei state with the others ethnic groups. The Murle accuse the other Nuer factions of arming the Lou and refuse to be disarmed since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. Before they were backed by the Sudanese army while the Nuer and Dinka fought alongside the former rebel SPLA.

“You can alone reconcile individuals or community when culprits from both sides have been identified and weakness admitted, however, this is not the case in the south,” he said.

“A culprit is covered and the government is accused of supporting and/or taking side, how,” he posed.

“If you ask who recently attacked the other in the area, you will only hear the name of tribe because nobody is determined to go further and find out who were behind the raid and what actually caused that attack. For any incident, there must be a cause and this cause if not addressed results into loosing either lives of innocent people or properties,” he said.

Asked about his role as presidential advisor on peace and reconciliation, he orderly stated that “my role is to first and foremost encourage initiation of peace building among southern communities prior to think of reconciliation initiatives.”

“First there must be a peace before any efforts for reconciliation initiatives are made,” he said.

He continued to reiterate that Peace comes before reconciliation, and this is why my office in close communication and coordination with president office is working very hard day and night to ensure sustainable peace across the south is built and maintained through reconciliation initiatives, he stressed.

Asked how he feels about recent incidents, he reiterated, “I am very much disturbed and hope that these events do not happen again but the issues need to be addressed,” he said.

Presidential advisor Ismail Konyi who hardly talks to journalists on issues related to Jonglei tribal conflict was speaking from Juba.

Konyi also urged media to refrain from exaggerating and inflating figures of any death related incidents. “Media have these days lost credible reporting,” he said.

(ST)

14 Comments

  • oshay
    oshay

    Murle leader says much disturbed by cattle wrestling in Jonglei
    Soon enough the noble Murle will rise up against the serpent SPLA and Kiir SPLM and all the people of Sudan will be behind them and enstill true secular democracy not this silly Marxist SPLM rubbish.

    SPLM-DC

    Reply
  • J.James
    J.James

    Murle leader says much disturbed by cattle wrestling in Jonglei
    Mr. Oshay

    Murle will not attack any government this time, all they will do is to see any competent candidate or party which stands for the solution of the problems face by every Southerner. There, like any community, every Murle will now choose a party of his choice based on his/her own cognition.

    This time Murle will not be used again like in olden days where people need muscle support from Murle while at the end Murle get nothing but insults and state of being ignored.

    And for Ismael, please go down to Murle land again and to them to hold attacks against others, please don’t give up.

    I hope you take that well.

    God bless

    Reply
  • Free Son
    Free Son

    Murle leader says much disturbed by cattle wrestling in Jonglei
    Most corrections have already been made earlier by J.James, Bullo and many others. In today’s ‘dot com’ era, you can’t fool any one except those who want to remain ignorant. To every genuine truth seeker about any group of people under the Sun, only the concerned people can really tell you the truth about themselves and not misleading reports from shameless so called journalists of Southern Sudan. That is not journalism, but ‘denkaism’. When you say Murle are the ‘most heavily armed etc etc of all the evil and lies you associate with Murle, only a fool can really believe you. It is the Bor Dinka and Nuer who are heavily armed because they use government weapons and their positions in the government to attack Murle killing Murle women, children, sick people in the hospital abducting and looting their cows. The only response one must do in such circumstances is to self defend yourself or you are gone. Ismail Konyi is just a politician like the rest of other tribal leaders who are just taking good care of their positions and ‘akil eesh’ while people are being destroyed in the broad daylight. Murle have contributed to the liberation war of SPLA and those who were killed in war battle fields cannot be denied, wherever they went, if only ten were found in a battalion, that town will always fall into SPLA’s hands. Many more were killed by tribal leaders in the SPLA itself, and yet the noble Murle youth and men who fought the ‘jalaba’ did not leave the SPLA knowing that to abandon SPLA means to be traitors like those who joined the arabs, leaders from Dinka, Nuer and others, yet people are silent about that and exaggerate about few militia men among the Murle like it was the same case in all the Southern tribes who also had their proarabs militias including Dinka, Nuer and many others. The abduction of children by warring parties is not a new thing or only practiced by some Murle nor is it only in Jongolei or Sudan. Murle children and women are also being abducted by Nuer, Dinka and others who know themselves what I am talking about. War, evils of abduction, looting and cattle rustling practiced by Dinka, Nuer, Toposa and Jie, Murle and others are all evils, no any intellectual
    will accept that, it is absolutely unacceptable and wrong, these are crimes against humanity and against God Himself. The solution is by coming together of some of us who are God-fearers, educated, and patriotic to see how we can change our people by first speaking the truth to them, then try to change them by two ways: one is to teach them the true Word of God, two by giving them real education because education should produce change of behavior from primitiveness which is next to ‘animalism’ to a civilized people. Murle will not leave Jonglei and Southern Sudan will not be divided, as we did not divide during the liberation war, the real liberation war is at hand and we must get united if we want and love our own life and existence. I am surprised to hear some ignorant contributers in this website that they don’t know if Murle have educated people. IN fact the best should be found among the Murle in education. When a Murle is educated, he/she will be an example to others. But enough of praising our Murle people by me myself, a Murle, because real effective praise should come from another person else and not you praising your own self, but I mentioned the above for the sake of the mis-informed around the world, because those who tell lies intentionally against the MUrle, they themselves know very well that they are not telling the truth about Murle. [email protected]

    Reply
  • J.James
    J.James

    Murle leader says much disturbed by cattle wrestling in Jonglei
    Mr. Jok011

    I a sure you my dear country men, you will hate 2010 0r 2011 if you don’t know.

    Watch.

    God bless.

    Reply
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