SPLA general accused of involvement in tribal feud
May 19, 2017 (JUBA) – A general in the South Sudan army (SPLA) has been accused of taking side in a recent communal feud that resulted in the death of over ten people.
This time, the Major General Malual Majok, head of the mechanised unit in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) at the general headquarters in Juba is personally accused of taking side in favour of his ethnic Dinka Bor in clashes occurred earlier this month with the Mundri.
According to a statement by Mundari Global Community on 8th May 2017, General Majok, allegedly allowed arms and personnel under his direct command in a purported coordination with the division commander based in his home Bor to carry attacks on civilian settlements inhabited by ethnic Mundri in Central Equatoria region.
“A motor boat carrying the riverine forces and the SPLA division 8 under the command of Malual Majok were dispatched from Gondokoro through Mongala. The riverine forces attacked civilians in the island of Korchomba and Gumeiza, terrorised, displaced civilians and (caused) massive destructions,” the statement reads in part.
The motives for which a top military officer took side in the communal feud remain unclear. Sudan Tribune was unable to reach him for comments despite several attempts. Military colleagues and relatives denied his involvement, describing the allegations as false and as a “smear propaganda”.
Ethnic conflicts and rivalry over grazing lands in South Sudan have often been attributed to actors primarily divided by cultural and ethnic lines.
Long-standing herder-farmer conflicts, typically involving disputes over land and/or cattle between herders and farmers in the states of Jonglei, parts of former Warrap state, Lakes, parts of former unity have killed thousands of people and displaced tens of thousands more.
Analysts agree that the conflicts between the Dinka-Bor and Mundari over the natural resources have been transformed into violent political conflicts over the years.
(ST)