South Sudan State Councils lawmakers call for calm in Jonglei state
January 28, 2012 (BOR) – The Republic of South Sudan National Legislature Council of States arrived in Jonglei state on Friday morning led by the speaker Joseph Bol Chan.
Speaking at Bor airport Bol said that lawmakers for councils of state are showing their solidarity with people of Jonglei state following recent communal violence which had affected state.
Chan said:“We think it is really very important to follow the situation in Jonglei closely and that is why we are here. We are going to hold now our third session sitting here in Bor town today.”
Conflict in Jonglei has killed over 1,000 people and displaced 120,000 in the last six months.
Fighting between the Luo-Nuer and Murle tribes has rapidly increased since December when 8,000 armed men from the Luo-Nuer attacked the Murle’s home of Pibor County.
The government and UN has described Jonglei as a humanitarian emergency as Murle groups attacked Akobo and other Luo-Nuer areas in response.
Bol said the Juba government wanted to know what Jonglei state was doing so that future conflict is avoided.
“We are looking people to be reconcile. People should live in peace so that our country should go forward”.
South Sudan became independent in July as part of peace deal with the north after decades of conflict, which left the region awash with small arms.
Speaking at a join sitting with Jonglei lawmakers and the Council of states lawmakers at South Sudan Hotel today, James Magok Ater, the representative of Lakes State in the Council of States urged Jonglei politicians, chiefs and intellectuals to work together to bring peace in Jonglei state.
Ater said that the rest of South Sudan was concerned by the insecurity and bloodshed in Jonglei state.
The MP said: “My advice to people of Jonglei [is] why don’t you come together, the politicians, intellectuals and chief to ask yourself what are you doing? Why are you always thinking of destroying South Sudan?”
“What is happening today is destroying whole of South Sudan – we cannot sleep comfortably in Lakes state, Northern Bahr El Ghazal state, Western Equatoria State if Jonglei state is bleeding. If Jonglei is in peace within itself, we will sleep comfortably”.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Jonglei state Kuol Manyang Juuk, urged the national government in Juba to quickly fund Jonglei’s ministries of Physical Infrastructure and Agriculture ministry to engage youth in manual works across the 11 counties of the state of Jonglei.
Manyang also called upon all citizens of Jonglei state who are carrying illegal arms to surrender their guns quickly to state government.
Governor Manyang said: “Now the president has already ordered for the disarmament of civil population and I want all our people in Jonglei state to […] to surrender all their guns when they are requested from them.”
He said that the disarmament campaign would start in February.
“I want them to handover all their guns so that we enjoy peace and for development to come.”
He urged people to stop the practice of cattle raiding, which is common in South Sudan due to the social and economic value of cattle and the poverty of the country.
The Governor said that he needs more forces and police units to be well equipped to deal with crimes across the counties of Jonglei state.
When the 8,000 armed men from the Luo-Nuer tribe attacked Pibor state security services and UN troops were completely overwhelmed and only able to protect small areas in the centre of some towns.
The UN advised civilians at the peak of the attack to flee for their lives.
Governor Manyang said that his state could not impose law and order because police lack the capacity and the military are not well equipped.
Most of South Sudan’s army are deployed at the tense border with north Sudan, Manyang pointed out when the recent fighting started.
“Jonglei state has 8,000 policemen and women but they lack equipment. I have 2,000 women police and 2,000 policemen [and 4,000 plus unarmed policemen]” said Kuol.
The police lack food, transport and police equipment, the governor said.
This is the first time Council of States of South Sudan’s parliament has held a sitting outside the capital Juba since the parliament was established in 2010.
Jonglei state, the largest in South Sudan, has a very poor infrastructure hindering humanitarian and security efforts.
The governor has made several calls for road construction.
(ST)