Dinka community members say targetted on Equatorial roads
May 21, 2016 (JUBA) – Members of the Dinka community – the largest single ethnic group in South Sudan from which President Salva Kiir hails – have complained against being allegedly targets on roads in the Greater Equatoria region.
“Many members of the Dinka community have been murdered on roads to Yei or to Nimule. If you travel from Juba by bus or any other public transport, there are criminals who sometimes lynch people from the Dinka ethnic group,” a complainant who identified himself as Mayar Kuol, told Sudan Tribune on Saturday .
Kuol who said he is a youth member from the Dinka community called on the government of President Salva Kiir to act and stop this killings targeting the community members on the roads.
He claimed that vehicles have sometimes been stopped by the armed groups and passengers have been asked whether there was ‘MTN’ in the vehicles. MTN is a name of a phone company operating in South Sudan and known for its slogan of being mobile, moving from place to place, which has now been referred to the Dinka community by the criminals.
If the answer was for yes by other non-Dinka members, he said, then the ‘MTN’ or ‘Dinka persons’ would be identified and told to come out from the car and taken away.
Another claimer, Akol Deng, also alleged that more than 10 members of the Dinka community have been murdered so far on the roads in separate incidents since March this year.
“This is a serious situation which the government should not ignore. Those responsible for the targeted murders should be brought to book,” said Deng.
The culprits responsible for the lynching on the roads are not yet known to the authorities. Allegations however suggested that they may be members of the armed opposition faction of the SPLA-IO who are sons of Equatoria region and have been denied cantonment areas by the former government of President Kiir.
Other allegations pointed to suspected groups of disgruntled civilian members from the Greater Equatoria region.
Sudan Tribune could not reach authorities to confirm the magnitude of the claimed ongoing lynching on the roads.
(ST)