South Sudan’s rebel commissioner of Panyijiar county of Unity state fires back on rival
July 30, 2015 (NYAL) – South Sudan’s rebel appointed commissioner of Panyijiar county in the oil-rich Unity state under the leadership of former vice president, Riek Machar, has fired back on his rival pro-government official for calling the opposition fighters as “terrorists”, saying they were defending the rights and lives of the people from the “genocidal” government of president Salva Kiir.
Colonel John Tap Puot, a rebel commissioner whose forces control Panyijiar county, in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday accused the pro-government commissioner, William Nyuon Joak, of selling his soul to the regime that killed his family members just for the sake of personal survival.
The government appointed commissioner, Joak, had earlier issued a statement, calling on youth from the Nyuong-Nuer of Panyijiar county to defect from Machar’s faction and rejoin the government, also complaining that members of the community were being used as “foot soldiers” by the rebel movement without senior positions.
Puot however dismissed the claim by Joak, saying the pro-government official had no idea about the ranks and file of the current rebel movement, adding it was also not positions that made them to pick up the gun to resist the government.
“Nyuon Joak should refrain from recklessly labeling Payinjiar youths as foot soldiers in the people’s movement. This is untrue; we have more than enough sons and daughters in the ranks and file of our movement which he may not know till the time comes. Besides, whatever our contribution is not about positions and riches the way Jaok sold even his own mother and family,” he added.
The powerful rebel commissioner who hails from the Nyuong-Nuer community of Panyijiar county also dismissed claims referring to his fighters as terrorists, saying they were freedom fighters and that it was the government that had been terrorizing the citizens from 15 December 2013.
“When we take [up] arms against Salva Kiir, it is very clear to the whole world that our people have been murdered in the national capital, Juba, in mid-December 2013. Those who may call us terrorists are very people who killed innocent civilians,” he added.
The opposition commissioner also disowned the government-appointed commissioner of the area, saying he did not hail from Panyijiar, but from Leer county. He revealed to Sudan Tribune that Joak was from Pillieny Payam [district] and his Buma [village] is called Yang in Leer county.
“Ask him his head chief, head man or clan in Payinjiar and he will keep silent forever like a dead man,” he said.
Puot accused Nyuon of allegedly trying to mobilize youth from the Dinka ethnic group of the neighboring Lakes state to attack and capture Panyijiar county and annex parts of it to Lakes state.
“He will never win any single civilian of Payinjiar county. We know he is working to annex our county to Lakes administration which is an empty dream,” he said.
“The County Citizens Protection Forces or (CCPF) remain vigilant, well prepared to monitor, detect, deter and to thwart any other incursion to the territories of this county by the ghost commissioner of no citizens in the name of Payinjiar County, who earns or wins his survival bread from the blood money of Salva Kiir’s regime at the expense of his own helpless mother and brothers and other relatives.”
President Kiir’s government attempted to regain control of Panyijiar county from the rebels in May, but their forces were defeated and the county has since remained under full control of the opposition group.
(ST)