Lakes state cattle keepers tell government to protect them or give them back their guns
By Manyang Mayom
August 28, 2010, 2010 (RUMBEK) – Lakes state cattle herders are calling upon the southern government to provide full protection to their cattle camps or give them weapons to protect themselves.
Since 2006 Rumbek East County has experienced frequent cattle rustling from within Lakes state and from Yirol East and Yirol West counties in neighboring Unity state.
Kuma said, “if government could not provide us with police forces to protect our cows, then we need 20 guns to be distribute among ourselves so that we could managed to protect our cows from raiders just by our own power”.
The government of Lakes state should arrest those responsible for cattle rustling both inside and outside the county, he said.
Kuma said the Lakes state authorities are not doing enough to in protect their cows. He hopes that cattle raiding will decrease if general security is improved.
Rumbek East County commissioner David Marial Gumke said that police do not belong to the cattle camp, they are owned by government. But he admitted it is up to government and to provide security to civilians who work in cattle camps
Before April’s elections Gumke was in the southern security services Special Protection Unit as a body guard for, the President of the autonomous Government of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir.
Gumke said, “we need real peace to happen in across [the] eight counties of Lakes state and that peace will cause us to walk [to] various counties plus their cattle camps to speak to youth about referendum awareness – they aim people of South Sudan interest now is only unity, and this is unity will lead into achieving [a] New Sudan in coming referendum”.
On Friday, Gumke visited remote areas to advocate for referendum on southern independence. The south who fought a two-decade war against the central government in Khartoum is widely expected to vote for separation.
(ST)
Wal P Muoranyar Biet
Lakes state cattle keepers tell government to protect them or give them back their guns
These cattle keepers had problem prior to acquiring those guns: Insecurity! Smart government should have start disarment by providing security first. Those cattles are the lifelines of those people. Taking tools they protect them with means killing them quietly and slowly. If that is not the intention of GOSS, then something must be done about their security!
Peace be onto Southern Sudan
Wal Muoranyar Biet
Malou Manyiel
Lakes state cattle keepers tell government to protect them or give them back their guns
I really can’t believed this!! Are you saying the government should give guns back to protects your cattles so that to take the law into your own hands? That is a wrong idea, you should have demanded the government for more protections than being given guns. The State authorities should take this as serious to protect civilians’ properties and not allow guns into wrongs, otherwise it will bring insecurity to themselves.
Malou manyiel