Unity state assembly summons officials over Jikany, Leek ethnic killings

November 22, 2013 (BENTIU) -Lawmakers in South Sudan’s Unity state have summoned a number of senior government officials to explain the killings that occurred during inter-clan clashes between the Leek and Jikany on 19 November.

Speaker James Nguany Chakuoth said the the lawmakers had a mandate to investigate and summon local officials over the killings which erupted on Tuesday over a disputed piece of land, leaving seven dead and nine others seriously wounded.

The county commissioner of Guit and Rubkotna, as well as the minister of local government were ordered to appear before lawmakers to discuss the situation on the ground.

“We have called two commissioners and the minister of local [government] to come to explain to the assembly what is happening and why vulnerable people are fighting and why people are killing”, Chakuoth told journalists on Friday.

He said lawmakers had also formed a seven-member committee, with representatives to travel to the communities on a fact-finding mission.

He said the committee would investigate what sparked the fighting and make recommendation on how to resolve the land dispute.

Local residents told Sudan Tribune the inter-clan fighting between the Leek and Jikany clans of the Nuer ethnic group had been fuelled by political interest.

Violence erupted in Rubkotna and Guit counties after 50 wounded soldiers from the South Sudanese army (SPLA) were brought to the disputed Madereth area, which both communities claim ownership of.

Madereth resident Gatdet Luony told VOA on Thursday that the Rubkotna commissioner’s decision to bring the group to the area had caused unease amongst the community.

Nyapuot Yaka lost her four-year-old daughter in the ensuing violence.

She said she began arguing with an unknown man who came to her house and tried to push her children outside.

She said the man had hit her on the back with his gun and by the time she reached her daughter outside she had been shot and killed.

According to Yaka, another two children were also killed, while one woman sustained a gunshot wound to the hand.

She said government forces had tried to calm the situation, but fighting between the groups had continued throughout the day.

“We cannot blame anyone either the government on the death of our children. The government has been there trying to stop the incident, but it was unfortunate the two groups clashed with a result of deaths”, said Yaka.

Gatchuk Chuol Biem, a resident from Nyachom area, said Jikany youth from the neighbouring community had launched an attack on Monday evening at about 5:00pm (local time). He said it was still unsure what had motivated the attacks.

“When the incidents happen we could not know the causes of fighting. We were at home around five o’clock in the evening, the group came and chased us out in the area. In the following morning – around seven o’clock in the morning – [we] were attacked by the same group of people and they speared a man on the left hand”, said Biem.

“We have no idea why the Jikany youths came and attack us; we have no reason on the matter. We remember the previous incidents and we solved it, up to now our relation was good for some years and we could not think of [the] same incident repeating again”, he added.

WOMEN AND CHILDREN TARGETED

Peter Par Thilchang, whose wife was shot on the hand during Tuesday’s clashes, has condemned the targeting of women and children.

He has urged the government to order an immediate investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.

A heavy military and police presence was stationed in the area following the outbreak of clashes between the two communities.

In 2009, fighting over the same piece of land resulted in the deaths of five people.

(ST)