Nuer communities to commemorate conflict victims
December 3, 2014 (KAMPALA) – Nuer communities sheltering in UN camps in South Sudan and neighbouring countries are planning to commemorate the deaths of their tribesmen killed after the outbreak of violence with a peaceful, countrywide protest on 15 December.
More than 20,000 Nuer civilians are believed to have died in ethnic related killings after political dispute within the country’s ruling party (SPLM) turned violent, reigniting tribal tensions.
The fighting has pitted troops loyal to president Salva Kiir, who hails form the Dinka tribe, against rebel forces aligned with former vice-president Riek Machar, of Nuer ethnicity.
The conflict initially flared after Dinka soldiers in the presidential guards attempted to disarm their Nuer colleagues.
It is alleged that government troops and their allied militia carried out mass killings of Nuer civilians following the outbreak of violence.
The killings were documented between 16 to 19 December, with the victims mostly children, women and elderly people.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) said it believed about 10,000 people were killed in the first weeks of the conflict, while the rebel faction claims 20,278 Nuer civilians were killed in Juba, Bentiu, Malakal and Bor. However, the figure has not been verified and the total death toll remains unclear.
Survivors of the massacre continue to live in fear, with many taking refuge at UN sites, while hundreds of thousands have fled to neighbouring countries as refugees.
Nuer youth representative Bol Khan told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday that Nuer communities across South Sudan will march within UN camps to commemorate the loss of their brothers and sisters.
Nuer from diaspora communities around the world would also be paying their respects on the same day.
“The killing of innocent civilians is the first of its kind in Naath’s history, so their death will be yearly commemorated at all corners of the world every 15 December by Nuer and every citizen from South
“The killers of 20,278 Nuer civilians must be [held] accountable. Why [were] innocent children, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters killed in cold blood for no good reason in Juba,” said Khan.
David Koang Machar is the chairman of Nuer communities that were displaced to UN camps in Central Equatoria.
He told Sudan Tribune that human rights activists and advocacy groups would be invited to take part in the peaceful protest in UN camps.
He said the communities he led in various UN protection sites in South Sudan were demanding justice for the victims.
The current crisis erupted in Juba on 15 December, with the government accusing Machar of staging a coup to overthrow the Kiir regime.
Although the violence was initially contained to Juba, it quickly spread to other parts of the country, with Unity, Jonglei and Upper Nile states among the worst affected.
(ST)