Spiritual leader show opposition to Jonglei’s disarmament process

March 30, 2012 (JUBA) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) carrying out the disarmament programme in Jonglei state announced on Thursday that it is proceeding as planned despite the efforts of a spear master (local spiritual leader).

At a press conference on Thursday, Kuol Deim Kuol, the commander in charge of Operation Restore Peace explained that a spear master in Uror county is the only influential person in the state to being opposing the disarmament. Kuol alleged that the spear master has instructed his followers to refuse to hand over their arms.

The refusal, Kuol claimed, led to clashes between the spear master’s followers and SPLA troops on 20 March in which four people were injured from both groups.

Kuol announced that over 9,000 of the state’s civilians have been disarmed so far.

Kuol said 9,326 arms have been recorded as collected so far but that difficulties in communicating with the disarmament operatives “deep in the cattle camps and in the villages” means that the figure is likely to be higher.

After the fire fight the spear master allegedly fled towards Ethiopia where he will seek the protection of a rebel known as Thokwat. Kuol said Ethiopian authorities have been informed about the situation and that the SPLA troops have requested permission to enter the region to pursue him.

Kuol reminded the citizens of Jonglei that those who do not meet the 30 April disarmament deadline will face charges.

When asked about claims that members of the Dinka ethnic group in the state believe the disarmament programme had not been ethnically uniform, Kuol reminded those assembled that more than 1,000 guns have been confiscated from the Murle ethinc group in Pibor county.

“We are cooperating very well with chiefs in Murle territories,” said Kuol.

The Nuer White Army (NWA), a militia which claims to be protecting Jonglei’s Luo-Nuer civilians and cattle from Murle aggression has expressed its opposition of the disarmament programme. The South Sudan Liberation Army of neighbouring Upper Nile state claim that they will militarily support the NWA military against the disarmament forces.

The NWA claim that the lack of uniformity in the disarmament programme had left the Luo-Nuer ethnic group vulnerable to Murle aggression.

There has been a long-running cattle-raiding/child-abduction feud between the Luo-Nuer and Murle ethnic groups which has escalated with the advent of readily available small arms. The proliferation of which is due, in part, to two decades of Sudanese civil war, which ended in 2005.

(ST)