Jonglei state: Communal ceasefire face challenges of attacks
May 15, 2017 (BOR) – A major cattle raid allegedly carried out by the Murle tribesmen occurred Saturday as preparations were underway to call back youth from Murle land.
“The youth were no there, only few old man were herding the cattle. But we managed to recover a half of the total number raided, and we are still on run an attempt to get them back”, a youth from Pangagoor in Twic East county said Sunday.
Such attacks and counterattacks had increased over the last three months between Dinka Bor and Murle when the Dinka Bor youth went to the Murle land, claiming to recover their stolen herds of cattle and children. This aggravated the tribal conflict between the two ethnic communities who had been at war for more than 80 years.
The country first vice president, Taban Deng Gau, who led a government delegation to Jonglei and Boma states, to hold talks on the way forward to create, told the Jonglei state government and communities leaders on Friday in Bor, before he left to juba on the following day, that ceasefire must be signed for peace talks to begin.
Taban also said the strong police should be deployed in the regions, after the agreement to monitor the peace at the borders.
“For peace to come, there must very strong policing. I went to Pibor, we have agreed that there must be peace. For this peace needs to be monitored. We need about 2,000 police to operation between Jonglei, Lou and Pibor, to monitor the criminal activities at the border. We need you to support us on this. Let there be peace so that people go about their normal life, looking after their goats and cattle. The government should build schools for Bor, Murle and Lou,” said Gai.
He added, “Water point must be created up there so that people settle. Juba-Bor must be opened and will not be closed anymore. You will return to your villages in Makuach and Anyidi and so on, and Murle will also return to their villages”.
Six children were abducted by the Murle youth at the islands in Mar, one man injured near Bor and two others killed in Anyidi in the same week the first vice president was in Bor and Pibor. People wonder how the ceasefire will be respected by both sides.
(ST)