MPs clashes during parliamentary sitting over Upper Nile violence

JUBA – South Sudan lawmakers on Monday clashed over the ongoing violence in Upper Nile state after a lawmaker described SPLM Chief Whip Rebecca Joshua Okwaci as a “liar” following a presentation over the violent conflict implicating armed youth from Jonglei State.

While speaking before the house, Joshua accused White Army, an armed youth group from Jonglei State’s Fangak and Ayod Counties, of terrorizing civilians in several parts of the Shilluk Kingdom and called for action on the attacks which have displaced thousands of civilians.

“The Chollo Kingdom has been devastated. The militia White Army had come they are armed. About four thousand of them they have gone through to Panyikang and cleared it, killing unarmed and led to people drowning in the river,” she said.

“They went to Makal County and the same happened. And they also went to Fashoda County where they stop at a place called ‘Ogone’. Rt. Hon Speaker, what’s very important here is that there are civilians, innocent who are dying, children have been displaced and they are in Melut County,” she added.

But lawmaker James Ruot who represents one of the constituencies in Jonglei State dismissed the remarks of the chief whip as lies and claimed that the parties fighting in Upper Nile state are SPLA-IO Kitgwang factions and that the violence does not involves Jonglei armed youth.

“Rt. Hon Speaker, the Hon. MP Chief Whip has been telling lairs to the parliament because those fighting are only Kitgwang forces and they are not from Jonglei,” Ruot stated.

Following Hon. Ruot’s remakrs, lawmaker Johnson Olami Nyik representing Panyikang County in the peace parliament demanded apology from the Jonglei lawmaker, stressing that the chief whip was telling the truth about what is taking place in the Shilluk Kingdom.

“I want to give my order to my colleague for what he said. What he said is an insult. He said she is a lair. The Chief Whip is not a lair what she is saying is true. So, I want the MP to withdraw his statement because what is happening in Chollo Kingdom is in place because the White Army is killing the citizens there,” Nyik said.

Another lawmaker said “Rout didn’t actually raise his point objectively and responsibly. He used abusive words by calling the Chief Whip a lair, in fact he has to withdraw that statement automatically.”