Status of Jonglei Displaced Causing Tension in Nimule

SPLM delegation with Ugandan forces in Bor County, Jonglei state. They were there to investigate an alleged massacre of civilians., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

SATURDAY 1 MARCH 2014

Status of Jonglei displaced causing tension in Nimule

By Ijoo Bosco

February 28, 2014 (JUBA) - The governments of Eastern Equatoria and Jonglei states as well as community leaders from the Madi and Dinka Bor ethnic groups on Friday held a consultative meeting over the fate of those internally displaced in Nimule payam of Magwi county.

The conflict in South Sudan has forced over 800,000 people to flee their homes. Eastern Equatoria currently hosts over 65,000 people, many of whom are from Jonglei, which witnessed one of the worst fighting in the aftermath of the conflict that began late last year.

The consultation forum discussed the Madi community’s refusal to allow internally displaced people from the Dinka Bor community settle in areas that they use for farming. The Madi expressed concerns that cattle owned by the displaced would destroy their crops.

The two-state consultative forum, Eastern Equatoria state Governor said, was to decide on modalities of how to assist the IDPs hesitating to be moved to another location within the state.

"We are here to dialogue with my counterpart government of Jonglei to help replocates or seek for alternatives way in order to help the resisting IDPs who are denied land for settlement by the Madi community of Nimule," said Louis Lobong Lojore.

The governor said they had agreed to visit the IDPs within the coming weeks. The displaced in Nimule claimed that Eastern Equatoria government had allegedly ordered humanitarian agencies not to provide assistance to them until they relocated.

Meanwhile, the acting governor of Jonglei state, John Koang Nyuon, hailed Eastern Equatorian government for hosting thousands of the displaced people from his state.

"Jonglei’s government will join efforts to resolve the tension regarding the presence of the IDPs in Nimule," Governor Koang said, adding that his government needed time to discuss issues that should urgently be addressed.

The governor asked that humanitarian agencies be allowed to provide relief to the internally displaced people in Eastern Equatoria state.

"This issue of relocating the IDPs cannot be decided overnight by [the] Madi community, we need it to be referred to national crisis committee and the presidency to decide on the fate of those hundreds of our greater Jonglei IDPs", Koang said.

Several government officials and community elders also attended the the bi-state meeting.

(ST)


SATURDAY 1 MARCH 2014

Jonglei’s Duk county paramount chief detained by rebels: MP

February 28, 2014 (JUBA) – The paramount chief of Duk county in Jonglei state has been detained by rebels who overran several payams [districts] this week, the area lawmaker told Sudan Tribune Friday.

Philip Thon Leek, the MP representing Duk county in South Sudan’s Parliament said James Cuei Leek was detained by opposition forces on Wednesday in Duk Payuel, located about 200km north of Bor, the capital of Jonglei state.

"They abducted him in front of his children in Duk Payuel,” said Leek in an interview with Sudan Tribune in Juba.

Duk county authorities have accuse rebels of attacking villages earlier this week after allegedly being repulsed away by government forces from Gadiang, a military base in Jonglei.

Rebel spokesman, Lul Ruai Koang, accused the government forces of targeting Duk county civilians, though this has being refuted by the county authorities.

Duk county’s payams of Payuel, Patuonoi, Ager, Padiet and Mareng have been overrun by anti-government forces this week, commissioner Elijah Mocnom told Sudan Tribune on Thursday from Bor after escaping being arrested by rebels.

The traditional chief was arrested and detained for failing to show support for the rebels, MP Leek claimed.

The paramount chief’s wife was the last to see him on Thursday, Leek said.

"We urged the rebels not to harm the traditional chief," he appealed.

CLINIC RANSACKED

Duk Lost Boys clinic, the sole health facility in Duk county and neighboring Uror and Twic East counties, has been ransacked, MP Leek said.

"That clinic was the only (health) unit providing health facilities to a wide range of society," Leek said.

Duk Lost Boys clinic is being funded by South Sudanese in the United States, known as Lost Boys. The clinic is known for eye surgery.

Sudan Tribune was unable to reach the rebels for comment.

Duk county commissioner, Elijah Mocnom and MP Leek denied "false" claims by rebels that villages in the county were burned by government forces for mistaking them as being owned by members of the Nuer tribe.

Although the conflict began following political tension between senior members of South Sudan’s ruling party (SPLM), much of the fighting has been between members President Salva Kiir’s Dinka tribe and the Nuer tribe of his ex-deputy Riek Machar, who now leads the rebellion.

Machar denies attempting to oust Kiir in an alleged coup attempt on December 15. President Kiir’s critics, however, claim he used the split in the army (SPLA) to silence his opponents.

The conflict spread to Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile states, which all have significant Nuer populations. Both sides have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians.

"The SPLA are fighting rebels in Gadiang and there is no SPLA unit in Duk county," said Leek when asked who destroyed the villages of Mareng, Payuel and Ager in Jonglei on Tuesday.

When asked for a comment, South Sudan army spokesman, Col. Philip Aguer said government forces were focusing on protecting major towns.

He accused the rebels forces of burning villages in Duk county.

A second round of negotiations in Addis Ababa were due to have started over a week ago, but have been stalled due to rebel demands that Juba releases four political detainees and ask the Ugandan military to withdraw from the country.

(ST)


FRIDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2014

S. Sudanese rebels protest inclusion of stronghold in ceasefire monitoring

February 27, 2014 (JUBA) – South Sudanese rebels on Wednesday said they would not accept the mediators’ decision to include Nasir, one of its strongholds in Upper Nile state, among the ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism areas.

Taban Deng Gai, the head of the rebels’ negotiating team, said envoys from the East African regional bloc (IGAD) should not have included Nasir as one of the areas to be monitored, while excluding other areas held by pro-government forces.

The official, in a release extended to Sudan Tribune, said they were “disappointed” over the unilateral signing of the implementation modalities in support of the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) by Juba and witnessed by IGAD Mediators, without taking into consideration concerns made by opposition forces.

“The initial agreed areas of deployment were Juba, Malakal, Bor, and Bentiu. This is in accordance with the provision of Articles 5.2 and 6b of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement based on the requirements on the ground. The IGAD special envoys may deploy additional monitors in consultation with the parties. After selecting the four areas noted above, the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) team included Akobo unilaterally after protracted discussion which IGAD consented to it,” the 26 February release partly reads.

“However, after JTC team visited Akobo, they decided to visit Nasir without consulting with the SPLM/A. The JTC team then added Nasir to the list without consultation and consent of the SPLM/A. Hence SPLM/A rejects any attempt to include Nasir as one of locations for the Monitoring and Verification Teams (MVTs) to monitor without taking into consideration issues raised”, the statement reads in part,” added the release, notifying the international community and the people of South Sudan.

There are fears within government that the rebels could use Nasir, a strategic area located at its border with neigbouring Ethiopia, as a base to receive military supports from outside allegedly without the knowledge of the Ethiopian government.

The rebels, it’s lead negotiator said, would only accept IGAD’s decision, if the purpose of deploying the monitoring and verification teams is to monitor movement of troops, deployment or redeployment, supply routes, sources of threat, and humanitarian access, includes area such as Nimule, Kaya, Nadapal, Parieng, Kwajok and Rumbek.

He also expressed concerns that the JTC chairperson never gave opposition forces sufficient time for consultation, adding that this lack of consultation may not provide conducive environment for monitoring and implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

Gai, however, reiterated the full commitment of his group to signing of the Implementation Modalities in Support Of the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities (CoH), once the issues, concerns and reservations raised are resolved.

DELAYED TACTICS

The rebels earlier accused President Salva Kiir of using “delayed tactics” to undermine the monitoring and verification mechanism of the ceasefire, which formed the basis of the truce signed in Addis Ababa as part of efforts to end the conflict.

Such a move, according to the head of the rebel delegation, enabled the South Sudanese army (SPLA) to “make a mockery” of the ceasefire and thus launch attacks on rebels.

But the spokesperson of the army, in a separate interview with Sudan Tribune, accused the SPLM-In-Opposition forces of violating the agreed ceasefire, citing attacks on Malakal, which the rebels claim to control.

“Our forces have always respected the cessation of hostilities agreement, but this has continuously been violated by the rebel forces of Riek Machar,” said Philip Aguer.

(ST)