Violence erupts in Nimule as Jonglei herders kill Madi chief at community meeting

JUBA – Violence has just erupted in South Sudan’s border town of Nimule in Magwi of Eastern Equatoria state after cattle herders from neighboring Jonglei state stormed a community meeting killing a local chief, eyewitnesses have said.

Speaking to Sudans Post in Nimule, several eyewitnesses said that violence erupted when armed youth from Jonglei State’s Bor approached a community meeting of the Ma’adi Community and started taking pictures and when they were told not to take pictures; they started shooting randomly killing the community chief.

“We were in a community meeting an hour ago. They came in good number and they have guns. When they arrived at the meeting venue, they started recording the community meeting and I don’t know the motive, but I am sure they were coming with an intention to disrupt the meeting,” one eyewitness said.

“After they were told not to stop taking pictures, they started to first shoot in the air to disrupt the meeting. When they saw that the people are not scared and were not going anywhere, they started shooting at us and they shot Chief John Ebele in the stomach and he died immediately,” the eyewitness said.

Another eyewitness said that security forces who were nearby didn’t respond to the attack, despite having seen the civilians from Bor moving with guns inside the town since the morning and “it was clear that they are going to make trouble.”

The eyewitness added that the “late John Ebele is chief of Anzara area.”

‘UNACCEPTABLE ACT OF VIOLENCE’

When contacted by Sudans Post, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), Edmund Yakani, condemned the killing and said that the act was unacceptable, urging the government in Eastern Equatoria state to intervene in the shortest possible time to avert revenge attacks and bring the culprits to justice.

“CEPO strongly condemns the extrajudicial killing of the Madi chief today in Nimule. This is unacceptable and provocative act for inter-communal violence. The leadership of Eastern Equatoria State must immediately intervene to prevent further occurrence of revenge attacks among the conflicting communities,” Yakani said.

PASTORALISTS URGED TO AVOIDE VIOLENCE

Yakani urged the pastoralist communities, not only in Eastern Equatoria, but across the country, to avoid act of violence that may trigger further conflicts among communities and urged the national government in Juba to intervene and bring the Eastern Equatoria state violence to an end once and for all.

“CEPO is urging the pastoralist communities to avoid acts that provoke violence among communities,” Yakani said.

He also urged “the national government to handle the issue of the farmers and pastoralists in Magwi once and for all. This violent situation will lead to serious crimes against humanity. Incidences of extraordinary killings are on the rise in the Magwi county area.”