Unity –Warrap states postpones gubernatorial meeting over tribal clashes
By Ngor Arol Garang
April 22, 2010 (WUNROK) — Authorities from southern state of Warrap have confirmed postponement of the gubernatorial meeting supposedly scheduled to take place over the weekend.
Lieutenant General, Salva Mathok Gengdit, caretaker governor of Warrap and Unity state caretaker Governor, Taban Deng Gai, were scheduled to hold gubernatorial meeting on Saturday 24, to discuss way forward on repeated cattle-rustling attacks mostly at the Unity – Warrap State borders.
On Thursday 15 April ,2010, a five day long voting process widely perceived to have started peacefully in southern Sudan, ended miserably as cattle-rustling clashes resumed between the two states of Unity and Warrap, resulting into the death of 13 people and sent residents fleeing polling stations on the last day of the polls.
The clashes over cattle which broke out in the villages of Abayok, Maker Diong and Kuech at the border of Mayom and Twic, at eleven o’clock in the morning of Thursday 15, were blamed on armed elements form Nuer ethnic group who were camouflaging in military uniforms allegedly associated with Sudanese armed forces.
Makuc Makuc Ngongdit, an SPLM Secretary General in Warrap, told Sudan Tribune by telephone from Kuajok, that attackers drove away 600 (six hundred) heads of cattle at Tony Amol grazing area forcing residents to flee blaming Nuer for the attack.
None of the cattle has been retrieved because youth were busy by voting when the attack took place, Makuc said adding two of the victims who survived serious leg and stomach injuries are now at Turalei hospital in critical conditions.
This clash necessitated calling for meeting between the two governors but it is being postponed because unity state governor Taban Deng Gai is engaged in elections result, said Warrap SPLM Secretary General Makuc Makuc Ngongdit.
He said that border security committee has already been formed to identify pocket of conflicts and where joint police should be deployed. This committee was present at the sites and that the situation since Friday last week, has been under control.
The security committee aims to contain insecurity, and avoid reprisal attack as well as building up of tension between the two sides.
Locals say attackers were armed with heavy weapons and fight at Tony Amol grazing where raiders took 600 cattle, lasted for more than five hours as herders were trying to resist, resulting in to the killing of 12 people from both sides, nine on the attacked side and three from the attacking groups.
Anei Deng Ater, Twic county commissioner, in a statement to Sudan Tribune from Turalei, condemned the attack and called on his counter, Mayom county commissioner to seriously engage local police in the recovery of the stolen cattle and the arrest of the thieves.
He further said the attack interrupted the electoral operation in the area; however he urged Turalei population to never consider reprisal attack
“I know they have done us more than a simple harm but I call on you never to revenge it. Leave it to the government to follow it for you,” he said.
He added the huge number of stolen cattle would help Unity state authorities to trace it and arrest the culprits.
“This will even make it easy for government agents to trace them if the Unity state government is willing to cooperate in the return of these cows,” he said
(ST)