even Killed In New Clashes In South Sudan
Cross border clashes between residents of Lakes State and Western Equatoria leave eleven dead as Governors meet to seek peace.
Eleven
people are reported dead in fresh clashes between Lakes state residents
from Yirol West county and Western Equatoria residents from Mvolo
County on Tuesday. This despite a meeting at the same time between the
governors of the two states in question, to seek an end to the
fighting.
Fighting between the farming communities of Western Equatoria’s Mvolo
county and Dinka cattle herders from Lakes state, who graze their cattle
in the area, has been going on since February.
According to the commissioner of Mvolo County, Paul Tier, the fight
started when the local authorities left to attend the peace talks
between the governors.
“When we reached in the evening in Mvolo five people were confirmed
killed in the morning. And late in the evening six other people were
killed, making the total of eleven,” he said. “We didn’t expect it to
happen the way we have seen it when we are at the meeting. We in the
government of Western Equatoria state are for peace, not for fighting.
Fighting is not in our culture but it is being imposed on us.”
The governor of Western Equatoria state, Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro,
condemned the fresh attacks on Mvolo County, which he blamed on the
neighboring Dinka Atuot in Lakes state.
The governor said he would continue to work to end the conflict.
After a meeting between the two sides in Lakes state, the two states
resolved that forces will be deployed to the border area, and that those
displaced by the fighting would be resettled to their original villages
by the Southern Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission.
The governor of Lakes state, Chol Tong Mayai, said that both sides’ politicians are committed to ending the conflict.
“It is our duty as political leaders to see to it that our people live
along this border peacefully. It is our duty to see that the services
needed are delivered to them. It is our duty to save their lives. And
that’s why we made that commitment with Governor Bakosoro to come here
as brother and sisters, the whole security of both states came here, we
have met and we are going to make sure these resolutions are
implemented.”
Governor Bakosoro agreed saying, “we came here to seed peace among
ourselves as the sisters states of these region, we need peace among
ourselves. We came to Western Equatoria for love and peace among
ourselves. For among us killing is bad, we don’t want anybody to die for
nothing.”
This is the second time the two governors have met to discuss peaceful
solutions to the conflicts between the two communities, yet the fighting
continues.