Jonglei violence claims 34 lives including those of 7 students

JUBA – Intercommunal violence in South Sudan’s Jonglei state has killed around thirty-four (34) people including at least seven (7) students in the last one month, the governor, Denay Jok Chagor, said in a statement on Friday in which he also condemned the escalating violence.

“Several incidents in recent months have soared to the extent of an unimaginable rate,” Chagor said in the statement extended to Sudans Post.

“To mention a few, eight people were killed in Twice East County in November 2021 – with forty herds of cattle raided in Duk County on 26 November 2021, five people killed in Uror County in November including Payam Administrator and a Chief; four people killed in Nyirol County in November 2021 including a Pastor and two deacons; five people killed in Bor County including two intellectuals who were traveling on a motorbike from Bor town to Anyidi Payam that led the angry youth of killing seven Murle last month, and ten people killed in Akobo County including seven university’s students returning from Ethiopia in November 2021 and three women killed on December 1, 2021, in Buong Payam of Akobo Wes,” he added.

All the incidences, Chagor said, “brings the number of the deceased to 34 in just a month. Thus, the government of Jonglei State is saddened about losing innocent citizens to uncontrollable criminals.”

“The peace between us and GPAA is bigger than everything; however, we felt that little is honored by the Greater Pibor Administrative Area for not doing enough to cease recurrent attacks.

“The government of Jonglei State has strongly condemned the recurrent incidents on Jonglei’s citizens andI call upon the Authority of GPAA to dialogue with their own youth and advise them from recurrent attack so that we both embark on peace-building.

“Finally, I pay my sincere condolences to the affected family members who lost their loved ones. The government of Jonglei State will remain committed to the Pieri Peace Agreement and the recently signed peace accord in Bor. Therefore, I urge the authority of GPAA to respect the truce for peaceful co-existence among the two sisterly communities.”