Civilians on the frontline against LRA rebels in Western Equatoria

By Richard Ruati

October 20, 2009 (YAMBIO, WES) — Western Equatoria civilians are venturing to self-defense groups to protect homes and families from Ugandan LRA rebels.

The rebels have killed over 188 people and displaced over 70,000 people in southwest southern Sudan’s Western Equatoria State since December 15, 2008, UN and Aid agencies say.

The purported attacks surged after Ugandan forces spearheaded an anti-rebel offensive in December 2008.

In silence broken only by the buzz of insects and the crunch of earth under their plastic sandals, vigilant boys armed with traditional weapons file through the cool night, hunting arrows in hand, scanning the darkness for those who killed their villagers and burned their homes.

Elsewhere in the areas surrounding the Payam (Sub-county) of Gangura, dozens more like them stalk the forest, mostly fearless young boys armed with locally made guns or bows and arrows.

“This is very necessary for me, first and foremost, for the town, and for the people who are suffering in the bush, who have done nothing and who are dying,” said Michael Poulino, a community leader at Bazungua Boma.

Lord’s Resistance Army rebels first attacked Yambio in March 2006, as efforts to negotiate a peace deal to end their two-decade bush war against the Ugandan government broke down at the first stage.

“They just walked straight into our fertile villages. They started to burn houses and kill people,” Poulino said.

At this time, not all villages is protected by the allied forces, and analyst say no conventional army can be deployed in the State of over 600,000 inhabitants, located near northeast border of Democratic Republic of Congo, the LRA’s stronghold since it fled from Garamba National Park to various dense jungles of DR Congo, southwest southern Sudan and Central Africa Republic in 2008.

On Dec. 14, a Ugandan-led multinational force, including Congolese and South Sudanese soldiers, launched an offensive aiming to capture the rebels’ reclusive leader Joseph Kony.

Instead, the operation splintered the rebels into smaller groups that are now attacking villages, slaughtering civilians, raping women and kidnapping children for use as sex slaves and child soldiers. The Aid Agencies death toll may be conservative.

The UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, Ameerah Haq, said there was “grave concern” at “escalating attacks”.

“Many innocent people are losing their lives every week,” she says, speaking during a recent visit to Yambio, capital of the hard-hit Western Equatoria state.

“The United Nations is very concerned about the killing, abduction, maiming and displacement of innocent civilians,” Ms Haq said.

Many of the attacks targeted the food provided by international aid agencies, she said, warning that greater security efforts were needed.

There are just 200 UN peacekeepers in Western Equatoria, with forces already stretched tackling separate conflicts elsewhere in southern Sudan.

Since their creation, the Arrow boys have taken on over 10 LRA bandits from a number of clashes with the Ugandan rebels.

But since last September 2009 the ongoing self-defense patrol in the counties of Mundri, Maridi, Yambio, Nzara and Ezo of Western Equatoria State caught 6 LRA soldiers. It mutilated and killed some before handing the other over to the allied forces.

At Bazungua, Poulino said he feels no hatred for these latest horrendous attacks by LRA rebels. He simply wants them to leave the innocent civilians in Western Equatoria State.

“Why are they dehumanizing us? Why?” he asked.

“Our future generations are degenerating from LRA rebels, they abduct our children and child bearing women,” he said.

“If it comes to a battle, we will die together and [I] encourage more boys to take up traditional weapons against the infamous rebels.” Augustino Ibba at Bazungua village said

“We are rocked by dire humanitarian crisis, the UN and GOSS must intervene and save our lives from marauding rebels,” stressed Gideone Batikpo, one of the former LRA abductees.

(ST)