Witnesses recount meeting with raiders in Jonglei village

By Philip Thon Aleu

November 22, 2009 (BOR) – Residents of Jonglei capital, Bor, never
slept comfortably during Saturday/Sunday night when commentators
mounted loud speakers on a pick-up car with a message of insecurity
build-ups in villages very close to the town.

To assert the reality of raiders marauding villages and raiding
cattle, child abduction and killing people in the process, Sudan
Tribune spoke to witnesses in one of the affected villages in a
situation that Jonglei Gov. Kuol Manyang Juuk describes as “regrettable and
violation of basic human rights.”

At least five people have died and five children abducted in the last
three days of abduction cases in Jonglei’s Bor County. On
Saturday, women fetching firewood in Anyidi Payam accidentally found
armed men meeting at area called Pan Ajuoi according to a letter dated
November 21 circulated to neighboring administrative units and
seen by the Sudan Tribune.

In Bor town many residents are recent villagers displaced by surging
insecurity and have substantial families’ members living in the
villages. This is why they were informed partly to reinforce their kin
or risking looming attackers’ strikes.

Sudan Tribune interviewed some witnesses, claiming to have seen strange
armed men, on Sunday in Makuach Payam where tension is increasingly
worsening.

Wal Mach, Panchol Pach and Akuot Alier told the Sudan Tribune how they
separately narrowly escaped kidnapping by armed men blamed for
carrying out multiple raids in recent days. According to the
eyewitnesses, the armed men are Murle tribesmen.

Texts of their description on Sunday November 22 at Makuach Payam
Headquarters are below;

“I was moving from my home (west of Makuach HQs) to Payam center at
10am (local time) yesterday (Saturday) when I saw two men crossing the
road. Their interest, as dictated by their movement, was on some
grazing cattle but they changed direction on seeing me observing them.
They were holding guns and long wooden walking stick. I realized they
are Murle when they avoid paths and occasionally bending down after
moving a distance away from me. There is doubt because their (Murle)
dressing is unique. Second, our young men on duty for Saturday’s
protection routine were still in here (Makuach) by that time. I
informed them (local youths) to be vigilant because strangers are
moving about and may take their cows. They went but found them far
from sight,” Mr. Pach narrated.

Then Wal Mach text is: “On Thursday, we (men patrolling around the
Payam) when to Agon forest (in the east of Makuach). We found a lot of
footmarks which created wide paths. We even got a fire probably use by
the outlaws. We followed them but never saw anybody till we returned.
We believe these are Murle because we don’t expect any folks of
hunters in our forest.”

Akuot Alier, a woman who when mowing grass on Saturday, narrates her
ordeal as follows:

“I was busy cutting grasses (in forest) but gone a frightening sound
of footsteps from something moving toward me. I raised my head and saw
some men a few meters away advancing in my direction. I ran away and
they shouted to me in a strange language. They are Murle because we
share border with them and are always abducting our children. I am
afraid. They may strike anytime.”

In this season of the year, women mow grass for building grass-thatch
huts. Hunting – though fading with government introduction of
militarized wildlife protection units, is also at the highest scale.
As bushing starts, penetrations of forest ease and directly relieve
raiders from burden of thick grass shielding – thus, the raiding
incidences increases.

By Sunday, the number of people killed has increased to five after
local leaders in Makuach Payam reports that a female wildlife officer
was killed earlier last week at Dhion – the area largest church and
another in Malith-thor while grazing cattle. Another man critically
injured at Mai-thok on Saturday evening is transferred to Bor Civil
Hospital. Deng Thokluoi of Anyidi Payam is unable to talk to the press
when visited on Sunday.

On Saturday November 21, gunmen manhandled a mother at Panaper, an
area three miles south of Bor town, kidnapped her three sons and
killed an elder brother who the night’s resisted abduction. One person
was wounded during the contest to rescue the children. Of the abducted
children, a 13 year-old boy managed to escape and return early
Saturday to Bor town. Hours after Panaper incident, three children
grazing goats in Palabach were abducted also on Saturday. A woman
mowing grass was killed in Kolnyang and another injured in attempting
to escape from armed men. A pedestrian was killed on Friday en route
to Anyidi Payam to bring the number of dead to 5.

After a half an hour drive into these scattered villages of Makuach
where the mood was calm compared to the scale announced last night,
prayers in synagogues were on going smoothly – as usually. The
situation appears basically normal in that neither is raiding new in
these villages nor is the snail speed of government respond to
insecurity reports. Civil Administrators and traditional chiefs
respond densely when asked what to do in case of a strike seem as
imminent. The government preparation or intervention by dispatching
troops to these volatile villages based on surging abduction cases or
efforts to quell the tension or assures protection is not visible
either, the villagers say.

“We shall try to defend ourselves and our territory if they attack
us,” Panther Gai, the head chief of Makuach Payam swiftly responded
adding that “if they don’t strike, we shall not follow them. We are
not the government to teach bandits [lawfulness].” The head chief was
speaking as few armed youths dance in show of ability and readiness to
save children and women lives in the other part of the iron-fenced
compound.

Makuach Civil Administrator Philip Mabil Duot, however, observes that
Bor County does not have enough capacity to provide adequate security.
Mr. Mabil calls on state armed forces to help patrolling areas close
to Bor town “because this not only our enemy but a [security] threat
to the state.”

Speaking to UNMIS sponsored Miraya FM; Gov. Kuol Manyang Juuk
denounces the renewing raids and child abduction. Gov. Kuol says the
criminals are disturbing voter registration which is a national
exercise ought to be conducted in peaceful atmosphere.

“What has happened is regrettable….and a violation of basic human’s
rights,” Gov. Kuol says.

Cattle rustling in South Sudan and related consequences have left at
least 2,000 people dead and 1.2 millions other exposed to starvation
in 2009, the UN says. Most of the tribal conflicts occurred in
volatile Jonglei state in 2009.

(ST)