South Sudan army contains cattle raiding conflict in Eastern Equatoria
April 23, 2013 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s army has successfully brought a conflict over cattle raiding in Eastern Equatoria State to an end, despite coming under sharp and sustained criticism from residents and local officials from the area over the approach it used to separate the two rival groups, the state government said Tuesday.
Thirteen others were also wounded while uncounted number, mostly children at schools when the fight broke out on 16 April, prompting widespread condemnation of the use of army to intervene.
The clashes occurred as the state government attempted to contain reprisal attacks following an attack on Bira community in which more than 75 heads of cattle were stolen by raiders.
Eastern Equatoria state’s minister of information and communications, Felix Otuduha, said Tuesday that the government in collaboration with the community leaders and the security forces had resolved to peacefully work out a way to settle the dispute and return the cattle taken by young men from the Didinga ethnic to the Bira community.
The minister added that security situation had returned to normal, saying that South Sudan’s army (SPLA) had contained the situation from deteriorating further.
Otuduha, said that SPLA soldiers did not attack first but responded only after coming under fire from gunmen.
“The state security committee convened a meeting after the killing of the wildlife officers and it was in the meeting where it was resolved that SPLA forces should intervene to contain the situation. This message was then passed to the army and when the armed forces started to move with intention to restore order, they were confronted with heavy fire. The first group fell into the ambush of the armed raiders and they started fire on the army. The army did not start indiscriminate shooting as it is being reported in the media. They came under attack”, he explained.
But officials and activists from the area gave different accounts, asserting that civilians were unarmed when security forces stormed in and started shooting during the morning attack on 16 April.
“I was in adjacent village when SPLA force came and passed. I asked why the army was moving at a high speed with heavy weapons, the teachers at one of the schools I had passed by told me that they have learned that SPLA forces were going to recover cattle raided by the Didinga community members from Bira. When I learned the information I asked why SPLA and not the police and the teachers replied that the police had no capacity. They also said because the wild life officers were attacked and killed, the SPLA would be considered neutral, Reverend Peter Ojek, told Sudan Tribune from Torit, the state capital on Tuesday.
Ojek said he heard the sound of exchange of guns shortly after ending discussions with the teachers over the movement of the army into the area and could not confirm who started the fight, or whether the government soldiers fell into the ambush, as asserted by the state officials.
“I heard the sound of guns after the army had passed and we started seeing people coming towards the village in which I was after spending something like two hours, saying SPLA forces had clashed with the cattle raiders and some people including a medical doctor were killed. I asked was the doctor part of the raiders or he was killed in the cross fire. They (the people fleeing the fight) told me that he was found in the clinic to which the raiders run and refused to leave”, he explained.
(ST)