Pibor MP denies 70 civilians killed in SPLA offensive against rebels
April 4, 2013 (BOR) – An MP from Jonglei state, where South Sudan’s army are fighting rebels in Pibor county, has denied military reports that 70 civilians have been killed in the this week’s army offensive.
The MP’s comments are in direct contradiction of the SPLA spokesperson, who said on March 28 that 70 civilians had died in the fighting along with 163 rebels loyal to David Yau Yau.
“Civilians are okay at the movement, the situation is very good, I appreciate that the work of sector commander Jonson Gony is well done, he is doing well with civilians and there have very good cooperation with civilians. So the civilians’ situation at the war zones areas is okay”, Judi told journalists in Bor on Wednesday.
He stressed that government soldiers “are facing the Yau Yau only and nothing else”, adding that “civilians are moving to the areas being shown to them by the county authority and the SPLA” to avoid being harmed.
The MP confirmed fighting against as continuous in the areas where rebels were expected to have ran to.
“Pibor at the moment is the war zone, fighting is still going on and I think that SPLA is doing well and very soon Pibor will be liberated”, he continued.
The MP said he had not seen any wounded civilians only soldiers who had been bought to Juba and Bor for treatment.
“I didn’t see any casualties from the civilians side but maybe they did not report them”, he said.
He indicated that some random shootings in Gurmruk town by Pibor County’s police injured some civilians and killed one other.
“What I know is that some police wounded three civilians after their random shooting in Gumuruk and another one immediately was killed”, said Judi.
Judi won the Gumuruk seat in 2010 general elections, defeating his political rival, David Yau Yau who stood as a candidate for United Democratic Front (UDF), who rebelled after failing to secure the position.
His rebellion has caused sever upheaval in Pibor County.
“I thinks people of Likuangole and some people from part of Pibor Payam and Gumuruk, most of them went to Lothila and those of Likuangole went to Jom, they were in Kongkong and later on moved to Jom, so these are the areas where civilians are, all cattle keepers are there”, he said.
Tens of thousands of people are said to have been displaced according to Judi in all the Payams of Pibor affected by war against the rebellion, including Gumuruk and Lekuangole.
The fleeing civilians were said to have left their belongings, including cattle, goats and food stuffs behind as they rushed to vacate the areas were the SPLA was fighting Yau Yau’s forces, making them vulnerable.
He describe the children and elderly who have been described as emaciated.
“Humanitarian agencies are only in Pibor because they took some food items to Pibor headquarters and very little to Gumuruk and in to the moving caravans I don’t see the intervention of the humanitarian agencies”, said the Judi.
“We need the intervention of the humanitarian agencies because at the time of war when people are moving they miss a lot of things even the cattle sometime they can not take them because people are in fear, people are moving everywhere in Pibor areas”, he said.
(ST)