URGENT: South Sudan army says it and UN unable to protect civilians in Jonglei State. Western powers are worried the violence will escalate into full civil war. (UPDATE 1: Added YouTube video link)

• Fighting in South Sudan cuts off 100,000 people from aid

• South Sudan army says it and UN unable to protect civilians in Jonglei

• Fighting in South Sudan forces thousands into bush

• South Sudan fails to protect civilians in east, US say

• Western powers are worried the violence will escalate into full civil war   

Note by the Editor of Sudan Watch:
HERE below is an alarming news report by Agence France Presse (AFP), published online yesterday (Wednesday 17 July 2013).  If the report is true and accurate, and considering what happened between the Lou Nuer and Murle people in December 2011 (reportedly, thousands were massacred), it could be a dreadful warning that many people in South Sudan are about to lose their lives. 

The AFP report copied below is followed by a few news reports.  I selected the reports for this blog post.  Note that one of the reports by Reuters ends by saying:  "A cycle of tribal violence has killed more than 1,600 people in Jonglei since South Sudan's secession, hampering plans to explore for oil with the help of France's Total and U.S. firm Exxon".

Finally, here are a few points taken from some of the other news reports, particularly regarding tribal clashes in Jonglei State, South Sudan:

• Western powers are worried the violence will escalate into full civil war   

• UN humanitarian aid chief Valerie Amos said the new fighting made it impossible to supply some 100,000 people in Pibor county in Jonglei State with "life-saving assistance.  The fighting is threatening the lives of ordinary people," Amos said in a statement.   The United Nations did not have enough helicopters to deliver aid to Jonglei where overland travel is impossible in the rainy reason, she said.  

• Medicins sans Frontiers (MSF), one of the few aid groups operating in Jonglei, said more than 120,000 people had been forced to flee clashes between the army and Yau Yau rebels.

• Last week, the United States, South Sudan's biggest ally, said Juba was not doing enough to protect civilians and urged the army to stop attacking U.N. staff and looting aid agencies.

• Separate tribal clashes were also reported in Unity state, site of several oilfields

South Sudan army says it and UN unable to protect civilians:  Minister
Wednesday 17 July 2013 - JUBA, South Sudan (Agence France Presse (AFP)) - South Sudan's deputy defence chief has said neither his troops nor United Nations peacekeepers are able to protect civilians in conflict-wracked Jonglei, where thousands of rival ethnic militiamen are fighting.

Video footage from eastern South Sudan's Jonglei shot by UN officials and seen by AFP show columns of heavily armed fighters from the Lou Nuer people marching past, watched on by a small force of government troops and UN peacekeepers.

"Much as we believe in the ideals of the responsibility to protect, our mandate as the government and the mandate of the UN cannot match with resources that are there," South Sudan's deputy minister of defence Majak D'Agoot told AFP late Tuesday.

The video was shot Sunday in the village of Manyabol in Pibor County, when the UN went to support the pickup of some 200 wounded fighters -- casualties from almost two weeks of fighting in the latest round of reprisal attacks sparked by age-old ethnic rivalry and cattle raiding.

The video shows fighters apparently returning towards their homelands, some leading stolen cattle.

The numbers of fighters suggest attacks on a scale comparable to those of December 2011, when some 8,000 Lou Nuer marched on Pibor, home town of their long-term rivals, the Murle people.

The UN later estimated more than 600 people were massacred in those attacks, although local officials reported the figure to have been far higher, while killings continued in a series of reprisal attacks.

D'Agoot said that in Manyabol the army had only one company, alongside a handful of UN peacekeepers, and that they were vastly outnumbered by as many as 7,000 militia gunmen.

Taking action in those circumstances would have been "suicidal", he said.

Hilde Johnson, head of the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said she had not seen the video her force had shot, but said that peacekeepers had sighted Lou Nuer forces and were "verifying that they were moving north on their return home".

Tit-for-tat cattle raids and reprisal killings are common in this severely under-developed state, awash with guns left over from almost two decades of civil war.

But recent attacks are on larger scale, with organised and well armed forces fighting.

South Sudan's rebel-turned-official army has also been fighting in the region to crush a rebellion led by David Yau Yau, who comes from the Murle people, since 2010.

View original report reprinted at:
http://www.omantribune.com/index.php?page=news&id=148596
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RELATED NEWS REPORTS

Fighting in South Sudan cuts off 100,000 people from aid
Wednesday 17 July 2013 - JUBA, South Sudan (By Andrew Green, Reuters) - Fighting between government forces, rebels and rival tribes has cut off 100,000 people from urgently needed food and medical aid in South Sudan's east, U.N. and aid officials said on Wednesday.

South Sudan's army is facing a rebellion from local politician David Yau Yau in the vast Jonglei state, and new clashes have broken out between the rival Lou Nuer and Murle tribes.

Western powers are worried the violence will escalate into full civil war, undermining stability in the young African country, where weapons are plentiful after decades of conflict with Khartoum that led to its secession from Sudan in 2011.

U.N. humanitarian aid chief Valerie Amos said the new fighting made it impossible to supply some 100,000 people in Pibor county in Jonglei State with "life-saving assistance".

"The fighting is threatening the lives of ordinary people," Amos said in a statement. The United Nations did not have enough helicopters to deliver aid to Jonglei where overland travel is impossible in the rainy reason, she said.

Medicins sans Frontiers (MSF), one of the few aid groups operating in Jonglei, said more than 120,000 people had been forced to flee clashes between the army and Yau Yau rebels.

A United Nations source said armed Lou Nuer youth had attacked several Murle villages in the past two weeks. Fighters loyal to Yau Yau, who is popular with his Murle tribe, had come to help fight back.

Separate tribal clashes were also reported in Unity state, site of several oilfields. In one incident, attackers apparently burnt a hut in a village with a woman and three children inside, said a U.N. source, asking not to be named.

The United Nations has not published any casualty figures of the Jonglei fighting despite a large presence of peacekeepers. Critics say the world body does not want to embarrass the government.

South Sudan accuses Khartoum of supplying Yau Yau with weapons. Diplomats say the claims are credible but South Sudan's army is also fuelling dissent with abuses such as rape, killings and torture committed during a state disarmament campaign.

Last week, the United States, South Sudan's biggest ally, said Juba was not doing enough to protect civilians and urged the army to stop attacking U.N. staff and looting aid agencies.

South Sudan has struggled to turn its army, a loose group of former guerrillas formed during the civil war, into a professional force.

Tribal violence has killed more than 1,600 people in Jonglei since South Sudan's secession, hampering plans to explore for oil with the help of France's Total and U.S. firm Exxon.
(Reporting by Andrew Green in Juba and Ulf Laessing in Cairo; Editing by Michael Roddy)

View original report at:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/07/17/uk-southsudan-fighting-idUKBRE96G11N20130717
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Fighting in South Sudan forces thousands into bush
Sunday 14 July 2013;  12:17pm EDT - JUBA, South Sudan (By Andrew Green, Reuters) - Fighting between South Sudan's army, rebels and rival tribes has sent thousands of people fleeing into the bush in the east of the country, U.N. and aid officials said on Sunday.

South Sudan's army is facing a rebellion from local politician David Yau Yau in the vast Jonglei state, and new clashes have broken out between rival Lou Nuer and Murle tribes.

Western powers are worried the violence will escalate into full civil war, undermining stability in the young African country, which is awash with arms after decades of conflict with Khartoum that led to its secession from Sudan in 2011.

The United Nations said thousands of people were hiding in the bush outside Pibor town in Jonglei to escape from conflict between the army and Yau Yau, who says he is fighting corruption, army abuses and one-party rule in South Sudan.

"The communities are in urgent need of medical attention," Toby Lanzer, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, said in a statement.

At least 200 wounded people had arrived in the Jonglei town of Manyabol after fleeing clashes between the Lou Murle and Murle, the U.N. said. Bringing in aid was difficult as the rainy season had made overland travel impossible.

A United Nations source said armed Lou Nuer youth had attacked at least three Murle villages in the past two weeks. Fighters loyal to Yau Yau, who is popular with his Murle tribe, had come to help fight back.

South Sudan's army spokesman Philip Aguer confirmed there had been new fighting in Jonglei but gave no details.

South Sudan accuses Khartoum of supplying Yau Yau with weapons. Diplomats say the claims are credible but South Sudan's army is also fuelling dissent with abuses such as rape, killings and torture committed during a state disarmament campaign.

Last week, the United States, South Sudan's biggest ally, said Juba was not doing enough to protect civilians and urged the army to stop attacking U.N. staff and looting aid agencies.

South Sudan has struggled to turn its army, a loose group of former guerrillas formed during the civil war, into a professional force.

A cycle of tribal violence has killed more than 1,600 people in Jonglei since South Sudan's secession, hampering plans to explore for oil with the help of France's Total and U.S. firm Exxon.

(Writing by Ulf Laessing in Cairo; Editing by Andrew Roche)

View original report at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/14/us-southsudan-fighting-idUSBRE96D08120130714
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South Sudan fails to protect civilians in east, U.S. says
Wednesday 10 July 2013 - JUBA, South Sudan/KHARTOUM, Sudan (Reuters) - The United States issued a rare criticism of South Sudan on Wednesday, saying the African state was failing to protect civilians in the east where the army is fighting an insurgency.

Western powers have long urged Juba to find a peaceful solution to fighting involving the army, a rebel group and rival tribes in the vast Jonglei state but have so far mostly refrained from criticizing the government.

A United Nations source said new fighting erupted a week ago between the rival Lou Nuer and Murle tribes in the Pibor area in Jonglei, killing an unknown number of people.

More violence was expected as armed youths from both sides were amassing forces in the area, the source said. A U.N. team visiting the town said that most civilians had left Pibor, contrary to government figures, the United Nations said in a report.

The United States, South Sudan's biggest ally, said it was "deeply disappointed" that the army, or SPLA, had failed to protect civilians in vulnerable areas in Jonglei.

"The lack of action to protect civilians constitutes an egregious abdication of responsibility by the SPLA and the civilian government," the U.S. embassy in Juba said in a statement.

Washington urged the government to prevent "SPLA attacks on U.N. staff and humanitarian assets". It gave no details but soldiers had looted compounds of U.N. agencies and aid agencies in Pibor in May, according to aid sources.

South Sudan has struggled to turn its army, a loose group of former guerrillas formed the civil war with Khartoum, into a professional force since seceding from Sudan in 2011 under a 2005 peace deal. The U.S. was a driving force in pressuring Khartoum into allowing an independence vote.

The army has faced a rebellion by militia leader David Yau Yau but diplomats say the SPLA is fuelling dissent with abuses such as rape and torture committed during a state disarmament campaign.

A cycle of tribal violence has killed more than 1,600 people in Jonglei since South Sudan's secession, uprooting tens of thousands of civilians and hampering plans to explore for oil with the help of France's Total and U.S. firm Exxon.

Analysts say the roots of the tribal violence and cattle raids go back to South Sudan's failure to start development in Jonglei and elsewhere in the vast country due to corruption.

(Reporting by Andrew Green and Ulf Laessing; Editing by Michael Roddy)

View original report at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/10/us-southsudan-fighting-idUSBRE96910E20130710
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Click on labels at the end of this post to see previous reports in the archives of Sudan Watch re:  Jonglei, Pibor, Lou Nuer, Murle, Yau Yau, Unity State - at the end of each page click on the hyperlink entitled "Click HERE to scroll down" and keep on scrolling down, page by page.

This blog post was published on Thursday 18 July 2013 at 6:03pm GMT, England, United Kingdom.

UPDATE ON FRIDAY 19 JULY 2013: 
Here is a link to the above mentioned video.  The video was published (source unknown) at YouTube on Thursday 18 July 2013 together with the following title and text:

"UN and SPLA do nothing as thousands of government supported militia go by
Shocked UN peacekeeper in South Sudan village of Manyabol, Jonglei on July 14 2013 narrates video of "thousands and thousands" of member of a government supported militia thought to be returning home from ethnic violence in Jonglei state marching past them and government troops with stolen cattle after violent clashes which have already led to hundreds of wounded. No action was taken to stop them or even to make this sighting public."



Here is a link to the above video, title and text:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_fFxBIJWzw

South Sudan Jonglei: Athor's demands include cancellation of election results. UNMIS' Jasbir Lidder mediates

ON THURSDAY (13 May) Radio Miraya reported that in its interview with George Athor, a renegade former senior member of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), Mr Athor demanded the cancellation of the election results, dissolving the current Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) and the formation of a new transitional government to supervise holding of the Southern Sudan referendum.

Also, in an interview with Sudan Radio Service (SRS) from an undisclosed location on Wednesday (12 May), Mr Athor said that his talks with the southern government's president-elect are at a standstill. In the interview, Mr Athor is quoted as saying:

“I believe that within days, my attack will be against Bor town because I have learned that Salva is somebody who only likes fighting and he doesn’t want to talk. So it is for him to listen to what we are saying, I am organizing my forces for Bor town, I am organizing my forces for Bor town. [...] my warning to all citizens is that they should leave Bor immediately and any place with military bases, they should leave it, because our target is only the military.”

According to the BBC's James Copnall in Khartoum, on Wednesday morning gunfire was exchanged in Thoudiak between forces belonging to Mr Athor and the Southern army.

Full story here below plus several related reports, including Sudan Tribune's report published Wednesday, 12 May saying:

The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) has pledged to mediate peace between the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) and the renegade Lt. General George Athor Deng.

In a statement to Reuters today, the general Athor said he had been contacted by a UN official offering him to broker a deal with southern Sudan government.

A delegation from UNMIS, headed by the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General, Jasbir Lidder, on Wednesday met with the Vice President-designate of the government, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, to explore ways to initiate the process.

The meeting discussed the possibility of halting the crisis by reaching a peaceful settlement to the ongoing clashes in the troubled Jonglei state through negotiations with Athor.

The UN team briefed the Vice President about their ongoing phone contacts with Gen. George Athor whom they said was expressing willingness to negotiate with the government.

The delegation expressed UN’s readiness to provide logistical support for the process.

Dr. Machar appreciated the efforts the UN team has exerted in their direct contacts with Gen. Athor, but however said the government would first make further consultations and review the situation before he could promise a decision to the UN body.

A follow up joint meeting between the government and UNMIS representatives is expected to take place in the next few days in order to try to agree on the way forward.

Photo: Jasbir Singh Lidder (India) Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (Source: UNMIS - see biography)

Athor demands cancellation of election results
From Radio Miraya - Thursday, 13 May 2010 - excerpt:

Athor, who recently began rebelling against SPLA, warned against what he described as an imminent comprehensive war in Southern Sudan unless his demands are met. Athor is currently in an area between Duk Padiet and Awet.

He also claimed that he is receiving support from within the Sudan People's Liberation Army.

The SPLA spokesperson Kuol Deim Kuol threatened to eliminate Athor's forces by military means if he continues to make ‘false allegations'. However, he stressed that SPLA wants the issue to be resolved peacefully.

Speaking to Miraya, Kuol Deim Kuol denied the presence of Athor's supporters within the SPLA, adding that Athor's forces are not more than a hundred soldiers, and that they have fled to uninhabited areas.

Listen to George Athor

Listen to Kuol Deim Kuol

Read also: Jonglei Governor: SPLA will defend any rebellion against GoSS (11 May, 2010)

Athor Is Ready to Fight SPLA
From SRS (Sudan Radio Service):

Thursday, 13 May 2010 (Nairobi) – The renegade former SPLA lieutenant-general George Athor says he will defend himself if his demands are not met.

Athor whose forces allegedly attacked on SPLA barracks in Doliep Hill last month has been involved in subsequent clashes with SPLA soldiers this month.

In an interview with SRS from an undisclosed location on Wednesday, Athor told SRS producer Daniel Danis that talks between him and the GOSS president-elect are at a standstill.

[George Athor]: “The talks are not going on. They have stopped talking to us and they are attacking us. Not a single soldier can move without the knowledge of the president or the commander-in-chief of the troops.”

[Daniel Danis]: Can you confirm whether you will still maintain your position of defensive and not offensive, because rumors has it that you will probably attack Bor, or any other town within the South.

[George Athor]: “I believe that within days, my attack will be against Bor town because I have learned that Salva is somebody who only likes fighting and he doesn’t want to talk. So it is for him to listen to what we are saying, I am organizing my forces for Bor town.”

[Daniel Danis]: But are you not concern that you might sacrifice the lives of civilians by doing this?

[George Athor]: “Well, my warning to all citizens is that they should leave Bor immediately and any place with military bases, they should leave it, because our target is only the military.”

[Daniel Danis]: Can you really hope to deter or actually fight the SPLA forces?

[George Athor]: “We are not playing chess my brother. Fighting is fighting and I can not tell you how many troops I have.”

[Daniel Danis]: What exactly are you hoping to gain by this action?

[George Athor]: “Our first demand is the abolition of the election results. Because the elections were rigged, and so we don’t recognize it. Second, we want the dissolution of the Government of Southern Sudan, and then all the political parties of southern Sudan should come together to discuss how they can form an interim government that will lead us to the referendum and then elections after the referendum.”

George Athor, a former SPLA lieutenant-general, was talking to SRS on Wednesday.

UN to mediate peace between Gen. Athor and South Sudan
From Sudan Tribune - Thursday 13 May 2010 - excerpt:

Wednesday, 12 May 2010 (JUBA) - Dr. Machar appreciated the efforts the UN team has exerted in their direct contacts with Gen. Athor, but however said the government would first make further consultations and review the situation before he could promise a decision to the UN body.

A follow up joint meeting between the government and UNMIS representatives is expected to take place in the next few days in order to try to agree on the way forward.

Nobody knows the exact location of Gen. Athor who is generally known to be hiding in thick forests somewhere in the north-western part of Jonglei state.

Jonglei Governor: SPLA will defend any rebellion against GoSS
From Radio Miraya - Tuesday, 11 May 2010 22:56:

The Governor-elect of Jonglei State, Kuol Manyang Juuk, has described recent threats made by General George Athor to attack Bor town as a rebellion against the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS). Speaking to Radio Miraya, Juuk said that such threats are not allowed. He added that the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and GoSS will defend anyone who chooses to take up arms against the nation.

However, he downplayed George Athor's threats saying that his forces are 200 Km far from Bor town, adding that Athor's forces are neither in Bor town nor anywhere near.

Earlier, the defeated independent candidate for Jonglei governorship, General George Athor, told Reuters News Agency that he will launch an attack on Bor town.

Click and listen to Jonglei State Governor, Kuol Manyang Juuk

Athor’s threats to attack Jonglei capital amount to rebellion - Governor
From Sudan Tribune - Wednesday 12 May 2010 - excerpt:

Tuesday, 11 May 2010 (BOR) - Athor said he had clashed with SPLA on Monday for the second time and threatened to attack an important town if the assault on his forces persists.

“We are organizing our forces in all areas and we are going to converge in Bor….attacking Bor,” Athor told Reuters adding that he is willing to negotiate.

Reacting to Athor claims, Kuol Manyang told the Sudan Tribune on Monday in Bor that "he (Athor) is far from the state headquarters; about 200 kilometers away," adding he has no forces around Bor town or near Bor town and if he is attacking the State headquarters, then, that is a rebellion that the government of Southern Sudan will not allow.”

"Yes, the State has no forces of its own, but is being defended by the SPLA – by the government of southern Sudan against anybody who takes arms against the nation," Kuol Manyang noted.

Here is a copy of some comments posted at Sudan Tribune article (see above) entitled "Athor’s threats to attack Jonglei capital amount to rebellion - Governor":

12 May 08:42, by Ajawuk Juma
Dear Southerners

The problem of Gen. G. Athor Deng is not between him and the Governor elected Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk but, the so called SPLM Political Bureau and President Kiir ’s administration who always favor the CPA invited guests over our heros and the free fighters.

According to Mr Deng to whom his mother from te same area with Gen. Athor talked with me in Juba this morning , he said that there is series of negotiations going on between Government of Southern Sudan GOSS and Gen. Athor including some generals in SPLM/A.

Deng told me his father did talk to Gen. Athor over the phone and said that is not the way we solve our differences as Monyjang which always make us to be different from other communities.

This problem is going to be solve soon, so the devil heart people should not be too excited. I heard that they are clubbing everywhere.

You can do some celebration but don’t drink over the limit. Remember guys is a critical times for all of us whether u are traitor or liberarors.

We don’t know where the war against referendum will start whether on the border or within the South.
- - -

12 May 04:19, by thomas
Once men start acting like this, I simply stop listening to them. I don’t care whether Gov. Manyang or Gen. Athor is Governor of Jonglei, I don’t know them and I’m not from there. The only thing I care about is innocent people’s lives, none of this is worth one life. We’ve already lost a few soldiers, let’s mourn them. They had bright futures...

Please, I plead with Jonglei citizens, only you know the root cause of this rivalry. It’s all our responsibility to become agents for tolerance, peace, and love. One by one, that is how voices that spread division and violence are drowned out in a sea of love.
- - -

12 May 05:24, by Gatwech
Dear readers,

Gen. Athor’s war is real!

Please read the new article about its devastation on southsudannation.com under the title, ’Jonglei State: Gen. George Athor’s war is devastatingly unresolved.’
- - -

12 May 07:12, by Gatwech
Dear readers,

Bor town in trouble!

Kuol Manyang Juuk is not a true soldier. He has proved that he was just hiding behind child soldiers and never captured a town or village while at close range of Kenyan borders. Look at his military incompetence! He thinks that 200 kilometers distance between Bor town and where Gen. George Athor is based is like a distance between heaven and earth.

Gen. George Athor can reach Bor town in one day on foot. And surprisingly, he has several trucks to transport his soldiers. The unpaid SPLA soldiers will not fight effectively even if paid now and they may also split themselves on sectional lines like what initially occured between Dinka sectional soldiers in Doleib Hills who shoot at each other leaving 5 officers dead including ten foot soldiers. They took positions on sectional lines.

Bor town will soon be destroyed. I was sure about that when I read it on southsudannation.com that the ring leader Chibitek Mabil, who destroyed Duk county headquarters last year, has now taken thousands of his armed youth to Gen. George Athor, and then promoted as Colonel by Gen. Athor.

Also Thousands of Murle youth are said to have gone missing in Pibor county and may be heading to Gen. George Athor.

Definitely he will attack Bor town and destroy it in the face of SPLA and Kuol Manyang Juuk.

I talked to somebody in Bor town yesterday who confirmed to me that civilians have already started fleeing villages in the outskirt of Bor town and Bor South County.

It is really, very, very serious!!!

You reap what you sow! What goes around comes around. The Ngundeng’s prophesy about the predicted destruction of Bor is now coming to pass!

Watch out!!!
- - -

Athor hints at negotiations after clashes with South Sudan army
From Sudan Tribune by Ngor Arol Garang - Wednesday, 12 May 2010 - excerpt:

Tuesday, 11 May 2010 (WUNROK) - ... However after fresh clash with SPLA forces in Jonglei on yesterday, Athor on Tuesday hinted at possible negotiations with regional authorities but preferred mediation of negotiations by choosing both political and military figures he wanted to mediate his talks with regional authorities.

"If they need any negotiation with us, I have no problem because I have already started receiving calls and began direct communications with many people including Salva Kiir Mayardit," Athor further said that he would like negotiations to be mediated by groups of leaders that he already communicated their names to Juba.

The talks "should be mediated by Lual Diing Wol, James Wani Igga, Benjamin Majak Dau, General Peter Gadet, Paul Mayom Akech and those that I have mentioned in previous communications with authorities in Juba," Athor said.

General Athor, who also declined to mention his whereabouts in the third interview with Sudan Tribune, said his forces are not planning to attack any civil administrative unit or military base. "It is not in our best interest to attack any civil administrative unit nor to attack any military base but we will defend ourselves if attacked," he warned.

"We will not tolerate being attacked. We are being attacked. They attacked us yesterday and have seen how we reacted in self defense," he said.

"Their attacks are beneficial to us because we have yesterday destroyed and captured a lot of vehicles including an anti-aircraft machine gun and our forces have discovered bodies of 33 soldiers with different ranks and three officers. On our side, five soldiers and two officers sustained minor injuries and three at critical conditions."

Colonel Malaak Ayuen Ajok, head of information and public relations in the office of the SPLA spokesman, said SPLA do not have orders to launch offensive attacks on forces loyal to General Athor but have deployed their forces to contain his movement out of the area.

South Sudan: ‘No negotiation with a rebel commander’
From The New Sudan Vision (NSV) by Mading Ngor
Tuesday, 11 May 2010 08:58:

(Victoria BC NSV) - The caretaker minister of legal affairs in the government of southern Sudan, Makuei Lueth, said on Tuesday that there is no negotiation with Gen. George Athor.

“There is no question of sending a delegation to a commander who has mutinied. So there’s nothing like that. He must be crushed militarily,” Minister Makuei told New Sudan Vision from Juba.

“As the Government of Southern, it’s decided that this issue should be addressed militarily,” he said.

Minister Makuei said there have not been negotiations with ‘the renegade general’ from the outset.

“The position of the caretaker Government of southern Sudan since day one has been that this thing should be addressed militarily.

“After all he has killed people, how do we negotiate with him? Is he ready to come and answer for the death of these soldiers, those soldiers whom he killed in cold blood in Doleib, is he ready to answer for them?”

“There’s nothing like that.”

Photo: Caretaker minister of legal affairs and constitutional development, Makuei Lueth (Photo by GoSS)

South Sudanese army caught in fresh fighting
From BBC News, Khartoum by James Copnall at 17:43 GMT,
Wednesday, 12 May 2010 18:43 UK - excerpt:

The south Sudan army says only two of its soldiers died in the latest fighting

There has been fresh fighting in south Sudan between the Southern army and forces loyal to the former general George Athor.

The army has denied claims by Mr Athor that dozens of its soldiers were killed in the clashes in Jonglei state.

Mr Athor was a defeated candidate in April's landmark elections in Sudan, which he insists were rigged.

At least eight people were killed when mutinous troops attacked an army base in Jonglei late last month.

Mr Athor denied leading the troops, but said he sympathised with them.

On Wednesday morning, gunfire was exchanged in Thoudiak between forces belonging to Mr Athor and the Southern army.

The former general said his soldiers fought off a large-scale attack, killing 83 while losing four of his own men.

However, a spokesman for the Southern army said only an 11-man reconnaissance unit had been involved from his side.

He said two of his men had been killed and two wounded.

There was no independent confirmation of the scale of the fighting.

Click on Athor label at the end of this entry to view related reports.

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Oct. 3-5 - At least 23 people killed, 21 injured in cattle raids between Mundari and Dinka Bor in two Central Equatoria State villages near Juba

Dinka and Mundari tribesmen clashed throughout the weekend in two Central Equatoria State villages near the southern capital of Juba, Hussein Mar.  At least 23 people were killed,  including six civilians and four soldiers, 21 injured and more than a thousand fled their homes.

More than 2,000 people have died and 250,000 been displaced in inter-tribal violence across the south since January, according to the United Nations, with the rate of violent deaths now exceeding that of war-torn Darfur in west Sudan.

The remote and marshy Jonglei state, where French oil giant Total (TOTF.PA) holds a massive, mainly unexplored concession, has been particularly hard hit by cattle raiding and related killings that have fractured communities along ethnic lines.

Source:  Report from Cairo, Egypt (AFP) ‎Oct 3, 2009
South Sudan tribal clashes leave 23 dead

At least 23 people were killed and more than a thousand fled their homes in ethnic clashes in volatile south Sudan over the weekend, a Sudanese official said on Monday.

Dinka and Mundari tribesmen clashed throughout the weekend in two Central Equatoria State villages near the southern capital of Juba, Hussein Mar, deputy governor of neighbouring Jonglei state, told AFP.

"The violence killed at least 23 people, including six civilians and four soldiers," he said, adding that 1,700 had been displaced in the fighting.

Parts of the Christian and animist south have been rocked by ethnic violence over the past year.

More than 2,000 people have died and 250,000 been displaced in inter-tribal violence across the south since January, according to the United Nations, with the rate of violent deaths now exceeding that of war-torn Darfur in west Sudan.

Clashes between rival ethnic groups in southern Sudan erupt frequently -- often sparked by cattle rustling and disputes over natural resources, while others are in retaliation for previous attacks.

However, a wave of recent raids has shocked many, with an apparent sharp rise in attacks on women and children and the targeting of homesteads.

Sixteen people were killed on Saturday in clashes between forces loyal to an ex-warlord and the governor's guards in oil-rich Unity State.

Last month, more than 100 people were killed in several days of clashes in the troubled Jonglei state.

Southern officials have accused Khartoum of arming some ethnic groups, an accusation Sudan's government denies.

North-south tensions remain high, with the country still divided by the religious, ethnic and ideological differences that fuelled a 22-year civil war which ended in a 2005 peace deal.

Under that deal, the south has a six-year transitional period of regional autonomy and takes part in a unity government until a 2011 referendum on self-determination.

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TIMELINE-Violence spirals in south Sudan

Oct 5, 2009 (Reuters) - South Sudan's president has blamed the military in the north for an escalation in violence in his semi-autonomous region emerging from decades of civil war, a southern official said on Monday.

More than 1,200 people have been killed by ethnic fighting this year, fuelled by a huge supply of weapons left over from over two decades of north-south war that ended with a 2005 peace deal, now faltering. Khartoum denies any involvement in the escalation in violence.

The north armed proxy militias in south Sudan during the war to intensify divisions.

The remote and marshy Jonglei state, where French oil giant Total (TOTF.PA) holds a massive, mainly unexplored concession, has been particularly hard hit by cattle raiding and related killings that have fractured communities along ethnic lines.

Here are details of some of the worst fighting:

MARCH 5-13 - At least 453 people, mainly women and children, are killed in attacks by the Lou Nuer tribe on at least 17 villages of the rival Murle ethnic group in Jonglei. The Lou Nuer say the incidents were retaliation for large-scale cattle raiding and attacks on Lou Nuer villages in January.

APRIL 18-19 - At least 177 people are killed in attacks on 16 villages of the Lou Nuer tribe by Murle fighters. Women and children are targeted in what are widely seen as revenge attacks for the March violence.

JUNE 12 - Jikany Nuer, like the Lou a sub-group of the large Nuer tribe, attack barges carrying U.N. food aid on the Sobat River to Lou Nuer areas in Jonglei. At least 40 southern soldiers and boat crew are killed.

AUG. 2 - Murle attack a Lou Nuer fishing settlement near Akobo town in Jonglei State, killing 185 people. Southern soldiers guarding the camp are also killed.

AUG. 28 - Around 800 Lou Nuer attack Wernyol, a Dinka Bor village in Jonglei State, killing 38 and wounding 76. The south's army said this was the work of a Lou Nuer militia, adding that a Murle militia also exists.

SEPT. 20 - A large group of fighters from the Lou Nuer ethnic group attack Duk Padiet village, inhabited by the Dinka Hol tribe, in Jonglei. More than 100 people are killed.

OCT. 3-5 - At least 23 people are killed and 21 injured in tit-for-tat cattle raids between the Mundari and Dinka Bor tribes, the deputy governor of Jonglei state says.

Mundari – Bor clashes kill scores, enter third day

Sudan Tribune - ‎5 October 2009:

October 4, 2009 (MAGALA, Central Equatoria) — Initial casualties of Mundari and Dinka Bor fierce clashes left scores of people dead on both sides and ...

S. Sudan: 8th Aug another Twic East County raid, 7 killed

From Sudan Radio Service, Monday 10 August 2009:
Seven Killed in Twic East County Raid

(Bor) – Following an attack on Nyuak payam by raiders from Uror county two weeks ago, bandits have again attacked Lith payam, Twic East county. Seven people were killed and 30 cows were stolen in the raid, which took place on Saturday.

Chol Majok Chol is the SPLM Twic East county secretary who was sent by the state government to asses the situation. He talked to our correspondent Mayom Biar in Bor.

[Chol Majok]: “They attacked one of the cattle camps called Kiir in Lith Payam, Twic East county on 8th August on Saturday night, at 11pm. They attacked the kraal, shooting at animals and people. They killed about 6 people, leaving 5 others injured. Yesterday (Sunday) in the morning, the number again increased because there was more fighting in the eastern part of the county when the youths ran after the cattle. They managed to rescue some of the cattle while one of the youth was killed. The real suspects are people from Uror county because people could hear the language they were speaking.”

Speaking from Bor, our reporter Mayom Biar sent this report on the background to the latest raid.

[Mayom Biar]: “This is the third incident that has occurred in Twic East and Duk county after the signing of the agreement in May this year. Not only the lost of life but the loss of more than 68 cattle will be a big blow to the cattle keepers because this year there is great hunger in the state; people are not cultivating well like last year because many people rely on the cattle for survival. So people will face a lot of hunger this year, according to observers. The Twic East community is calling on the government of the state to provide better security to the people so that they can stay with no fear as the elections approach next year.”

Click on Twic County label here below for related reports and updates.

S. Sudan: 2nd Aug massacre by Murle in Akobo, Jonglei

Horrors of South Sudan massacre
By Peter Martell, Monday, 10 August 2009
BBC News, Akobo

Photo: A girl shows spear cuts and gunshot wounds from the attack

First the gunmen surrounded the fishing camp in the hour of darkness before dawn.

Next they opened fire, then moved in with spears to finish off the wounded.

"They shot me in the arm and I fell, but as I was getting up they put a spear in my back," said Nyakong Gatwech, a 20-year-old pregnant mother.

"They thought that I was dead so they left me."

The attack on 2 August was carried out by fighters from the Murle ethnic group in the remote region of Jongeli state.

It was one of the worst single outbreaks of violence in South Sudan since the end of the civil war four years ago. Officials say at least 185 people died, mainly women and children.

These kind of attacks are becoming increasingly common in the troubled south, a region still recovering from decades of war with the north. It is one of Africa's longest conflicts.

'Clear massacre'

The few wounded survivors of the attack recounted their experiences as they recovered in a basic hospital in the town of Akobo.

"They shot me in the leg, but I made it to the river and I hid until they had all gone," said 10-year-old Dobol Jok.

His father sat by his bedside and watched in silence. Dobol's younger brother was speared to death.

"It was a clear massacre," said Akobo Commissioner Goi Jooyul Yol, who visited the site of the attack.

"We saw children and women lying floating in the river," he added. "I am wondering why people would do this to innocent children."

It is a situation that is causing deep concern.

Fighting is common in the region, often over cattle or land, but an upsurge in violence has left many in shock.

Even the unit of soldiers sent to guard the group as they fished could not provide protection - 11 were killed in the attack.

Many of those targeted had fled to Akobo in April after earlier clashes, but had returned in search of food.

Akobo has been accessible only by air for months, with its roads closed by heavy rain and its river route blocked by hostile neighbours upstream.

The last river convoy of 700 tonnes of UN food aid was stolen or sunk by gunmen in June. The military convoy was killed.



Photo: A village elder recovers from a gunshot blast to the groin

"We needed to fish because we have no food," said Nyakong Gatwech. "The soldiers were sent to protect us."

The United Nations say that more have died in the south in recent months from violence than in the war-torn western region of Darfur.

Many in the south blame former civil war enemies in the north for encouraging the attacks.

"There are definitely indications of the hand of the north," said Commissioner Yol.

He said cattle herders had reported sighting "unknown aircraft" landing on unmarked airstrips in the remote region and offloading cargo. But they could not provide further details.

There are fears the north wants to destabilise the oil-rich south ahead of a 2011 independence referendum, which many believe will see Africa's biggest nation split in two.

Distrust remains high between the two sides, still divided by the religious, ethnic and ideological differences over which the civil war was fought.

Officials have vowed to open the river route, increase supplies and to beef up security.

But the youth of Akobo are itching for revenge.

"We cannot sit back and let our enemies knock us down," said James Gatwech, a young man in a market empty of basic supplies. "If they kill us, we will kill them."

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Video report from Al Jazeera, 07 August 2009

The UN says survivors of a Sudanese massacre in which 185 people were killed are desperately short of food.   Al Jazeera's Tarek Bazley reports on the violence near Akobo in southern Sudan, 07 August 2009:



Click on Jonglei label here below for related reports and updates.

Jonglei, S. Sudan: Mostly Lou-Nuer women and children killed in Akobo massacre by group of Murle from the east

Survivors of south Sudan massacre short of food-UN
Thu Aug 6, 2009 10:53am EDT
By Andrew Heavens

KHARTOUM, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Survivors of a tribal massacre that killed 185 people in southern Sudan are desperately short of food, a senior U.N. officer said on Thursday.

Mostly women and children were killed in the raid by heavily armed members of the Murle tribe on a fishing camp in Sudan's swampy Jonglei state on Sunday, in what is thought to be a revenge attack for earlier fighting.

The killings, near the town of Akobo, were the latest in a string of ethnic clashes in Sudan's oil-producing south, many of them attacks and counter attacks provoked by cattle rustling.

Traditional disputes have been exacerbated by a ready supply of arms left over from more than two decades of a north-south civil war that ended in a fragile 2005 peace accord.

The head of the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) in the south, who has just returned from the Akobo area, said she saw piles of bodies and signs of food shortages.

"I saw dozens and dozens of dead bodies. The stench and the vultures gave us a clue to the magnitude," Michelle Iseminger said in a statement. "Clearly women and children were the majority of victims.

"People said that a group of Murle from the east attacked them and pushed them into the river, and, using machine guns, spears and other arms, continued killing them," Iseminger said.

Jonglei officials said most of the victims were from the Lou Nuer group, locked in a tribal war with the Murle that has already claimed more than 700 lives this year.

They estimated 185 people, including a small unit of southern soldiers protecting the camp, were killed in the raid which was later condemned by the U.N. Security Council.

Iseminger said dried fish was the only food she could see for sale in Akobo markets and that some 350 children, suffering from earlier food shortages, were being treated for severe malnutrition in the town's hospital.

"Food assistance is the number one humanitarian need in Akobo, besides protection," said Iseminger.

Emergency food supplies in the area started running low after members of the Jikany Nuer tribe, who have also been fighting the Lou Nuer, attacked a convoy of barges carrying U.N. aid long the Sobat river, close to the border with Ethiopia, towards Akobo in June.

Since then, the United Nations has had to use aircraft and helicopters to fly in smaller loads of food at greater expense.

The 2005 peace accord that ended Sudan's civil war promised national elections, due in April next year, and a referendum on southern secession in 2011. But many in the south are frustrated by the continuing lack of development and economic stagnation. (Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Bring all Jonglei attackers to justice

Sudan Tribune - Zechariah Manyok Biar - ‎13 hours ago‎

August 5, 2009 — On July 29, 2009 armed youth from Uror County of Jonglei State attacked Twich East County of the same State, ...

UNSC deplores deadly attacks in Sudan

Hindu - ‎Aug 5, 2009‎

The killings took place on Sunday in Akobo in Jonglei state and the victims reportedly include more than 100 women and children. At least 60 people from the ...

Tribal clashes death toll reaches 185 in Akobo County

ReliefWeb (press release) - ‎Aug 5, 2009‎

The Deputy Governor of Jonglei State, Hussein Mar Nyot, confirmed on Monday that State authorities have deployed reinforcements from the Sudan People's ...

Akobo County appeals for immediate humanitarian aid

ReliefWeb (press release) - ‎Aug 5, 2009‎

Roads leading to Akobo County in Jonglei State have been blocked following the recent tribal clashes in the area. Commissioner of Akobo, Goi Jooyul Yol, ...

Analysis: Hurdles on the road to Sudan peace

IRINnews.org - ‎Aug 5, 2009‎

Southern leaders have started to blame the north over related inter-communal clashes in Jonglei State, between the Murle and the Lou sub-section of the Nuer ...

Click on Jonglei label here below for related reports and updates.

Jonglei, S. Sudan: Khartoum 'arming Sudan militias'

Quote of the Day
"There must be a force somewhere, a force that keeps arming these militias, a force that keeps sending ammunition to the militias.  There is not another force in this way that can keep arming and sending ammunition to the local population apart from the Sudanese army" - SPLA's Maj-Gen Kuol Deim Kuol, 04 August 2009.

From BBC News at 18:03 GMT, Tuesday, 04 August 2009 19:03 UK:
Khartoum 'arming Sudan militias'

A general in South Sudan's army has told the BBC the government in the north is arming militias accused of being behind recent ethnic violence.

Maj-Gen Kuol Deim Kuol said his SPLA army was trying to disarm the local population but was being hampered by the continuing supply of weapons.

At least 185 Lou Nuer people were killed in Jonglei state when reportedly attacked by Murle fighters on Sunday.

Several hundred people have died in such clashes this year.

The UN says this is more than in Sudan's Darfur conflict.

Violence over land and cattle in South Sudan is exacerbated by a ready supply of firearms following the 22-year civil war with the north, which ended in 2005.

"There must be a force somewhere, a force that keeps arming these militias, a force that keeps sending ammunition to the militias," Maj-Gen Kuol told the BBC's Network Africa programme.

"There is not another force in this way that can keep arming and sending ammunition to the local population apart from the Sudanese army and the [northern governing] National Congress Party," he said.

Northerner officials have previously denied similar accusations, claiming southern politicians want to shift the blame for their failure to establish peace and restore security since the end of the war.

Officials in Jonglei said members of the Lou Nuer community had gone fishing south of Akobo town amid a severe food shortage when they were attacked.

Eleven SPLA soldiers, who were guarding their camp, were among those killed.

An aid worker who has worked in the area told the BBC's World Today programme that the clashes in Jonglei have escalated.

"Many people have been displaced into Akobo town, some have gone south into Pibor - everyone is worried because this hasn't happened on this scale before," she said.

"Since 2005 there have been some disarmaments but there are still very many people in South Sudan in these two tribes who are still armed," she added.

Analysts say the violence comes at a critical time for Sudan, as tensions grow in the north-south unity government.

Elections are due in April 2010, the first chance to vote for many in decades.

After that, a 2011 independence referendum is due for the south, which many believe will see Africa's biggest nation split fully in two.

Could clashes herald new conflict?

Further reading

See Sudan Radio Service's report at  Sudan Watch, Tuesday, August 04, 2009 - S. Sudan: SPLA accuses Sudanese army of involvement in Akobo, Jonglei clashes.

Report from Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi) via AllAfrica, 04 August 2009:
Sudan: 185 Killed in Ethnic Clashes, Catholic Radio Says

Juba — At least 185 people have been killed and another 31 wounded in inter-ethnic violence in South Sudan.

Catholic Radio Bakhita FM confirmed to CISA that thousands of other people have been displaced in Jonglei State following an attack on Mareng Village near Akobo County by alleged Murle tribesmen on Sunday.

The number of casualties was confirmed to Bakhita FM by Goi Jooyul Yol, Akobo's County Commissioner, who spoke to the radio station by telephone from Malakal.

Jooyul said that the Sunday attacks were the latest round of fighting between the Murle and Lou Nuer communities which started in March. There is a big food crisis in Akobo because many people have been displaced and the insecurity disrupted agricultural activities, the County Commissioner said.

"The first attacks of March displaced some 50, 000 people. Because of hunger around Akobo, there are a lot of people moving to town. They are in thousands. It is becoming worse because there is no rain and people could not cultivate because of insecurity around their home", Jooyul explained.

It is believed that the March clashes between Murle and Lou Nuer claimed over 1,000 lives.

Jooyul spoke from Malakal where he had gone to discuss the opening of the Sobat River corridor with the governor of Upper Nile State and the Commissioner of Nasser County.

The river was closed in June when the Jikany Nuer attacked a UN barge convoy bringing food to Akobo. Some 100 people, mostly SPLA soldiers escorting the flotilla, were killed in the raid.

During the rainy season, River Sobat is the only way to access Akobo. The World Food Program has been flying food to Akobo County, but it is too expensive and not enough to meet the needs of the displaced persons.

Jooyul said the alternative is to buy food from Ethiopia but there is no road in Akobo linking the two countries.

Click here for Jonglei State Map at ReliefWeb.

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Sudan: 185 Killed in Ethnic Clashes, Catholic Radio Says

AllAfrica.com - ‎1 hour ago‎

Catholic Radio Bakhita FM confirmed to CISA that thousands of other people have been displaced in JongleiState following an attack on Mareng Village near ...

BigPond News

UN urges action over south Sudan clashes

BigPond News - ‎3 hours ago‎

'The Secretary-General notes with extreme concern the August 2 attack in Akobo, Jongleistate, southern Sudan, and condemns the reported killing of 161 ...

Ban extremely concerned over deadly Sudan attack

SmartBrief - ‎4 hours ago‎

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned an attack that killed more than 160 people, mostly women and children, in southern Sudan. ...

Khartoum 'arming Sudan militias'

BBC Afrique - ‎11 hours ago‎

At least 185 Lou Nuer people were killed in Jonglei state when reportedly attacked by Murle fighters on Sunday. Several hundred people have died in such ...

Scores dead in South Sudan clash

AngolaPress - ‎12 hours ago‎

Their camp is some 25 miles (40km) south-west of Akobo town, in Jonglei state. Akobo commissioner Goi Jooyul Yol said that 185 bodies had been counted, ...

Afrik.com

South Sudan: Distrust and violence ahead of vital polls

Afrik.com - Konye Obaji - ‎13 hours ago‎

Tribal war has continued to widen the divide between North and South, as well as tribes of South Sudan, buttressing the necessity for division, ...

UN - Daily Press Briefing (3 August 2009) - Sudan, Darfur, Niger ...

ISRIA - ‎14 hours ago‎

The Secretary-General notes with extreme concern, the 2 August attack in Akobo, Jonglei State, Southern Sudan, and condemns the reported killing of 161 ...

'Families wiped out' in southern Sudan raid

Toronto Star - Sarah El Deeb - ‎14 hours ago‎

The camping area overlooks the Geni River, near the Ethiopian border, in Jonglei state. Yol, who gave the death toll, blamed the attack on the rival Murle ...

Over 180 killed in tribal violence in southern Sudan

Xinhua - Wang Guanqun - ‎15 hours ago‎

An unknown number of the armed men raided the Lou Nuer village near Akobo County in Jonglei state in the worst violence in three months, according to the ...

Japan & WFP sign agreement to provide humanitarian aid to Sudan

ReliefWeb (press release) (press release) - ‎16 hours ago‎

The meeting will also discuss the situation in the South after the Jonglei and Upper Nile incidents, in addition to the repercussions caused by activities ...

Click on Jonglei label here below to see previous reports and further updates.