Jonglei: US envoy warns against tribal rhetoric, urges end to conflict
March 25, 2013 (JUBA/BOR) – The United States’ envoy to South Sudan has urged officials and communities in Jonglei state to end provocative rhetoric against other tribal groups and instead focus on finding remedies to the conflict in the troubled region.
“(..)The U.S. embassy remains deeply concerned about continued violence against civilians perpetrated by David Yauyau’s insurgency, elements of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, and youth groups engaged in inter-tribal hostilities”, Page said in a statement.
We call on all parties to seek peaceful resolutions to their grievances and, in all circumstances, to protect and ensure the safety of civilians, adds the statement.
During the tour to get first hand information on the impact of violence in the area, the US envoy also met government officials and community leaders, as well as people affected by the violence.
While briefing the United Nations Security Council last week, Hilde Johnson, the head of the UN mission in South Sudan, reiterated their mandate to protect civilians from the conflict in Jonglei and other parts of the country.
Johnson, also the country’s special representative of the secretary-general, said a number of measures have been put in place with the help of the government to improve the security situation in the young nation.
“We have established procedures with government and the security institutions to address the situation. There is also a commitment by the president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, to punish indiscipline elements among security forces,” Johnson told the UNSC Thursday.
However, Johnson cautioned the 15-member council that “the window for dialogue is closing and that military operations may soon be launched.”
Jonglei, the country’s largest and most populous state remains unstable almost two years after South Sudan gained its independence. The region has in recent months experienced a worsening cycle of violence, in the form of ethnic clashes and cattle raids.
A recent UN report said over 17,000 people displaced from their villages in the state’s Pibor and Akobo counties are in desperate need of food assistance.
Yauyau, who is from the minority Murle ethnic group, started his rebellion in 2010 after losing an election bid to become a member of the state parliament representing Gumruk. In response to an amnesty offer by Kiir in 2011, the rebel leader returned to Juba, only to re-launch his rebellion in April last year.
Since then, clashes between the army (SPLA) and forces loyal to the rebel leader have gravely affected the security situation in Jonglei, with the latest peace attempt seen as key in efforts to salvage peace in the region.
(ST)