Over 9,000 rifles collected in Jonglei as disarmament enters third week

March 29, 2012 (BOR) – South Sudan’s army said Wednesday that it has collected 9,326 illegal rifles from civilians in Jonglei State as the tense disarmament campaign enters its third week.

The campaign started 14 March in Bor, Jonglei’s capital, after South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir officially opened the campaign two days earlier. The process was started in response to large scale clashes between rival cattle herding groups in what is South Sudan’s largest state.

South Sudan’s army (SPLA) was unable to stop the advance of 6,000 armed men, mainly from the Luo-Nuer tribe into Pibor County home of the Murle displacing thousands, setting fire to buildings, and steeling cows.

Reprisal attacks on Luo Nuer and Dinka areas followed. Over 100,000 people were forced to flee the violence over December and January after previous spikes in violence in June and August last year, which killed over 1,000 people.

The head of the disarmament operation in Jonglei State, Gerenal Kuol Dim Kuol, told the press at Malualchat SPLA camp in Bor, peace could not be achieved while civilians were better armed than the army.

“When civilians are armed like this”, he said pointing at the newly collected rifles from Waat in Uror County, “you don’t expect such a place to be peaceful.”

Uror County, is home to some of the Lou Nuer community thought to be responsible for the December and January raid on Pibor County. As well wanting to return stolen cattle, and abducted women and children the group calling itself the Nuer White Army (NWA) also said it intended to disarm the Murle themselves.

Previous campaigns in Jonglei have seen some groups unwilling to disarm for fear that they will be vulnerable to attack from their neighbours.

Kuol announced that the SPLA had collected 862 Ak47 rifles and 16 modernised Kalashnikov (PKMs).

During the NWA raid on Pibor the SPLA and UN troops were only able to secure some areas of town centres as they were overwhelmed by the number of Nuer armed men. intent raiders intent on retribution and

Kuol admitted that in some instances the number of illegal weapons in South Sudan means that the army fears being challenged by civilians.

“They are even superior to some infantry divisions. People can challenge the army when they are more armed than the soldiers,” he continued.

Kuol said the disarmament process was going well without resistance.

A week ago the SPLA clashed with supporters of the self-proclaimed prophet of Lou Nuer in Uror County but Dim said he had escaped with some armed men to Ethiopia.

“General[ly] it is peaceful. The only person who is resisting the disarmament is the magician who is claiming himself to be a prophet from God. The magician who committed atrocities in Likuamgule, he has run to Ethiopia and with him are some few youth”, Dim said.

“We have informed the Ethiopian Army, they either they arrest them or they chase them away from Ethiopia to South Sudan. Our forces are respecting the territorial integrity of Ethiopia, I have ordered them not to enter into Ethiopian territory”, he continued.

SPLA ACCUSED OF CRIMES

The forces conducting disarmament have been accused of committing various offences since the process began including rape and looting. Communities have also accused the army of failing to avail them protection once they have disarmed.

The youth of Bor County on Saturday called on the army in Jonglei state to protect civilians as they disarm the population.

Bor Youth secretary general, Riak Majak Riak, acknowledged that disarmament had been successful but locals have been left vulnerable to external attacks.

“About 7,000 rifles are reported to have been collected from the civilians in Bor County and people are left with nothing in their hands. I would urge the government to come in and provide us full security so that our people would this time go to the villages and cultivate in the near coming months. We are urging the SPLA to provide maximum security to our people.”

MURLE YOUTH RAID ETHIOPIA

General Kuol also said on Wednesday that over 3,000 Murle youth had crossed from South Sudan’s Pochalla County into Ethiopia going as far as the Bonga area.

Dim said the army has communicated the issue to the Ethiopian army and that the raiders had stolen large numbers of cattle. He expressed fears that cycle of raids and counter raids could become international after the Murle incursion into Ethiopia.

(ST)