Save

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

July 15, 2014 (ADDIS ABABA) – A senior official from South Sudan’s SPLM/A in Opposition has accused president Salva Kiir of calling for a tribal war between Dinkas and Nuers.

Miyong Kuon, who is aide to the group’s leader, former vice-president Riek Machar, told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday that Kiir had encouraged members of the Dinka tribe to which he belongs to stand up and fight against the Nuers.

The president is alleged to have made the calls in his native Dinka language while speaking at a public rally in Lakes state capital Rumbek on 12 July.

“You, the Dinka of Rumbek, why are you fighting yourselves and not your enemies? The Nuers are coming to fight you. You should wait for your enemies the Nuer to fight you,” Kuon quoted the president as saying.

He said the comments suggest Kiir was calling on the Dinka tribe to end infighting and unite in the fight against their common enemiy, the Nuer.

Rebels further accuse Kiir of attempting to foster disunity among South Sudanese people and divide the country along ethnic lines.

The armed opposition group comprising mainly dissident soldiers and ethnic militia from Machar’s Nuer tribe has been engaged in an armed struggle with the South Sudanese government since mid-December last year when a political split emerged in the ruling SPLM, triggering tribal tensions across the country.

Kiir initially accused his former deputy, who was sacked last July, of attempting to stage a coup to topple his regime. Machar has denied the allegations, but admitted to starting a rebellion.

Another rebel official said such public statements indicated that the leadership in Juba isn’t serious about reaching a political settlement to the crisis.

A ceasefire agreement signed by the two warring parties in January and recommitted to by the rival leaders in May has failed to halt the ongoing conflict.

Both sides, meanwhile, continue to trade accusations of violations to the terms of the agreement.

(ST)

Comments on the Sudan Tribune website must abide by the following rules. Contravention of these rules will lead to the user losing their Sudan Tribune account with immediate effect.

- No inciting violence
- No inappropriate or offensive language
- No racism, tribalism or sectarianism
- No inappropriate or derogatory remarks
- No deviation from the topic of the article
- No advertising, spamming or links
- No incomprehensible comments

Due to the unprecedented amount of racist and offensive language on the site, Sudan Tribune tries to vet all comments on the site.

There is now also a limit of 400 words per comment. If you want to express yourself in more detail than this allows, please e-mail your comment as an article to comment@sudantribune.com

Kind regards,

The Sudan Tribune editorial team.

17 July 2014 10:13, by Mel mosa

The president Kiir is right because Nuer are only taking army to kill Dinka where every they are in South Sudan. For instance, Nuer rebel of Riek killed Dinka solders who rebel with them and killed every Dinka civilians in Jonglei, Uper Nile, Unity State and Warrap and always beat drum to go to whole Bahr El Gazal to kill more civilians. Riek army is only pure Nuer. who encourage tribal war now?
- 17 July 2014 14:56, by Mr Point
  
  Remember:
  
  There would have been no war if Kiir had not started a tribalist massacre of the Nuer in Juba in December.
  
  Kiir wants tribal war. it is his only hope for holding on to power.
- 17 July 2014 15:03, by Rami Tot
  
  i hope those of Nuer traitors in the government side have understood this mobilization from the tribal president salva kiir of Bhar elghazal of warrap state.
  he is already a fail leader
17 July 2014 10:23, by Mel mosa

Riek is already beat drum of tribal war when he only mobilized Nuer army to make coup against government in order to kill Dinka people when he get to the power. Now show me only one soldier in Riek army from any tribe of South Sudan. Why Riek army Killed Dinka civilian if Riek didn’t declared tribal war?
- 18 July 2014 07:35, by jur_likang_a_ likan’g
  
  Mel Mosa, what the Nuer people are doing is exercising the right to self-defence after the massacre their people in Juba. Those who initiated the battle are non-Nuer people. Stop misinforming the world in what really happened in Juba last December.
17 July 2014 10:24, by Ayuiu Makuac Lam

Not president Kiir said tribal war,
the scale of rebellion with mass troops killing innocent civilian in three battalion states which are: Jonglei state, Upper Nile and Unity state and it is run by only one community (Nuer) under Nuer citizen Riek Machar.
17 July 2014 10:49, by Chol A.

What is wrong with that Nuer already calling themselves to wage war against Dinka which have been seen by many South Sudanese. If Kiir said than it ok and I wish the Dinka to hear that message and ready to fight you other joint the peace and talk as people of South Sudan.
- 17 July 2014 13:55, by Panda Odhie
  
  this is supposed to happen from day two,not today ,bcuse Riek is playing tactics ,when he sit together with those fool Dinka ,he said ,we want democracy ,we want to fought kiir out of government,to Equatorians,he said Dinka is a problem and to his own Nuers is worse die heart bcuse of Dinka. if it was perceive like their way this war would have finish already but they enjoying war bcuse Jieng
  - 17 July 2014 13:57, by Panda Odhie
    
    Did not accepted to fight them on tribal basis even Nuers know themselves, Dinka community don’t want war,itis the government who is fighting rebels.
- 17 July 2014 15:10, by Rami Tot
  
  Chol A.
  Nuer are ready what ever the cost is you have even hired mercenaries used cluster bomb still we are very sharp more than before come with your stupid brothers we are ready anytime anywhere in the south sudan we will exhaust you to the extend that you will rethink your dump mind and say we have committed mistake of massacre Nuer in Juba. by the way this war will engulf the whole country.
  - 17 July 2014 15:25, by Chol A.
    
    @Tot than why are you complaint if you are ready? You have been callobrated with Arab since the beginning of South struggle upto no you got supply from North and part from Ethiopia but we are not crying like what you did now! Please stop crying and do what man can do. You think you will exhausted us but you are exhausting yourself fool.
- 17 July 2014 15:16, by Rami Tot
  
  that is why you are thinking of relocating the state capital because you know severity Juba to you there Wau is more accessible than juba juba when we compare it with Juba some hrs from boarder to Wau it is very fertile indeed to catch you up from there.
17 July 2014 13:51, by Marco A. Wek

Well, no surprise to see that none of our cousins Nuer responded to the useless rebel claim because they very well know which side is fighting tribal war. If Dinkas were engaged in tribal war like Riek Machar group, Ugandan army would have not been in South Sudan.
- 17 July 2014 14:36, by Simon Puok Nyang Tutjiek
  
  Kiir is not nationalist period, the Dinka who are nationalists are Dr. Garang,s son, Mabior, Dau Aturjong, Dhiew Mathok, Akol Ayii and Acuei, I’m not surprised with Kiir’s comment as the December 15 planned genocide and subsequent ethnic cleansing on innocent unarmed Nuers civilian in Juba justified my comments.
  Kiir, Lueth Makuei and Tilar Deng are shortsighted Dinka period!!!!!!!!
17 July 2014 15:19, by Thondet Manyang

In any society, the person is role model when activity he/she enjoys most becomes into realization. And began to teach it. This what Riek learned during his studies. We thought he will develop youth instead of killing them using his prophecy of Doom that Ngundeng was talking about. So, he becomes war monger in our country. I am always afraid when getting more comments talking about tribal lines.
- 17 July 2014 19:03, by Malakal county Simon
  
  You dumb Dinkas’ s listern up, this nation called South Sudan belong to all tribes ok, yous Dinka’s are the enemy of South Sudanese people’s!! Ask me why??

Latest Comments & Analysis

Horrific attacks on Darfur camps show need for UNAMID peacekeepers 2021-02-27 19:21:51 By Ahmed Elzobier The cycle of deadly violence in Darfur is still ongoing. It returned on 16 January 2021 with the horrific attacks on the Krinding camps in El Geneina, the capital of West (...)

Toward viable future for South Sudan 2021-02-23 06:27:19 A critique of ICG’s Africa Report No. 300, 10 February 2021 Dr Lam Akol The International Crisis Group (ICG) issued its Africa Report No.300 on 10 February 2021. The report attempts to address (...)

18th anniversary of armed struggle in Darfur 2021-02-23 05:21:00 By Mahmoud A. Suleiman This article comes against the backdrop of the equal participation of members belonging to the armed struggle movements from the Darfur region in ministerial positions and (...)

MORE

Latest Press Releases

Sudan: Performing arts is not a crime, assaulting women and artists is! 2020-09-20 08:54:28 The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) Sudan is still struggling with militant Islamist ideology KHARTOUM: Central Khartoum Primary Court issued a verdict against five (...)

Civil Society Statement in Response to The Law of Various Amendments 2020-08-14 07:11:00 A Collaborative Civil Society Statement in Response to The Law of Various Amendments (Abolishing and Amending Provisions Restricting Freedom) – Exposing ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’ Sudanese women (...)

Remarks by SRF leaders at the Friend of Sudan meeting on peace 2020-08-13 07:58:58 Chairman of the Friends of Sudan Conference, Your Excellency, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, The Prime Minister of Sudan and the participating team from the (...)

MORE

S. Sudan rebels accuse president of calling for tribal war

Latest Comments & Analysis

Latest Press Releases