Jonglei: Anuak paramount chief killed in Akobo fighting
October 5, 2013 (BOR) – The paramount chief of the Anuak tribe in Jonglei state’s Akobo county is reported to have been killed in Dima village by members of a neighbouring ethnic group, local officials have said.
“Earlier in the morning, youth of Nuer of Akobo came to the village and fired at the people, the first two bullets killed Anuak paramount chief”, a source in Akobo told Sudan Tribune.
On Thursday Lou Nuer youth are also alleged to have attack on another Anuak village in Old Akobo, killing two women. Many more are missing and are assumed to be scattered in the bush.
The Anuak are one of the largest tribes in eastern Jonglei, mainly in Pochalla and Akobo counties. Some Anuak also live across the border in Ethiopia.
Members of parliament from both the Anuak and Nuer communities in the Jonglei state assembly confirmed the attack to Sudan Tribune but did not indicate the cause of the fighting or give figures for the number of people killed in the fighting except for chief Odio and two women.
According to the MPs, an investigation visit to the areas was scheduled for Friday.
Sources in the state capital Bor allege that the fighting was triggered when members of the Nuer community found a body in the river by there village. Despite not knowing who was responsible for the death they responded by travelling to the Anuak village and killed the paramount chief.
A few months ago the Anuak community in Akobo petitioned the government against the Nuer over land disputes and the deterioration of peaceful co-existence among the two tribes.
However, the state government, to which the petition was addressed, did little to settle the conflict.
(ST)