The Ayual Diaspora urge peaceful settlement of land dispute with Dachuek in Jonglei state

The Ayual Diaspora Call for Peaceful Resolution and Welcome Jonglei Governor’s Call for an Investigation in Twic East County’s Land Dispute

March 21, 2011 — We, the Ayual members in the Diaspora, are deeply saddened by the recent killing of a large number of people as a result of the land dispute between the Dachuek and Ayual communities in Twic East County in Jonglei State. It is very disturbing that precious lives have been lost and great suffering has come to the innocent citizens of the Dachuek and Ayual communities. As decent human beings, we believe that the killing of any human being is unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms possible. We find no joy in the loss of life. We extend our condolences to all relatives of the people killed and injured in the skirmish.

For generations, the Dachuek and the Ayual communities have enjoyed peaceful coexistence, characterized by shared natural resources and, most importantly, intermarriages. The people of Ayual and Dachuek have a peaceful history and, until recently, have never killed each other. We are even more saddened that automatic weapons have been used in this violence—a first occurrence in the history of Twic East. The violence and killing should stop immediately and the growing hatred and tensions should be addressed and remedied.

This recent incident between the Ayual and Dachuek communities could have been prevented if full attention were given to the earlier petition, published by the Sudan tribune on February 22, 2010 (http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article34201). We welcome Governor Kuol Manyang Juuk’s call for the investigation of arms, which were recently used in the killing. We also welcome the formation of “A Fact Finding Committee,” which is expected in Wangulei, as reported by Sudanese Tribune on March 4, 2011 (http://www.sudantribune.com/Jonglei-At-least-14-killed-and-37,38178). We strongly condemn damages done by the SPLA soldiers, which were reported in this article: “SPLA soldiers had destroyed residential houses in Wangulei by burning them in retaliation for the soldier who was killed in the cross fire.” Such acts by the SPLA’s soldiers undermine all laws that ensure respect for and protection of the civilian population and personal property. This is a direct insult to the SPLA’s military code of conduct and must be investigated and stopped once and for all—in Wangulei and in all other areas in Southern Sudan.

Peace is the norm, and it should be the norm. We can and should live together in peace by respecting each other’s property and persons. We, the Ayual community in Diaspora, are calling for a peaceful settlement to the problem in Wangulei. It is very important for the two communities to resolve the problems without use of arms. There are many nonviolent actions that could have been taken, such as use the traditional court systems, which the Ayual chiefs have followed. We also urge all the MPs, namely Honorable Atem Garang De Kuek, Honorable Deng Dau Malek, Honorable Deng Aguer and Honorable Amor Kuol as well as the commissioner of Twic East community, to visit the area in order to prevent the repeat of this mass killing. We are also appealing to the spiritual leaders and the Twic East civil society to assist in restoring peace in Wangulei. Politicians alone cannot bring solutions to this deadly problem. We must all stand up for peace between our two communities.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact the Ayual Community at [email protected]

Signed by the Ayual Community in the Diaspora