George Luth Jock, a war veteran and legal representative from Mayendit County, said the prevalence of subnational violence is a result of hateful rhetoric spewed by politicians with an intention of causing chaos.
The veteran said protagonists and intellectuals were using land ownership-related differences to split communities that co-existed for centuries without any historical problem.
“There is no one who has filed any formal complaint over the ownership of any village, neither from Leer nor in Mayendit,” the veteran said.
“I can tell you that our problem is result of bad languages. I look at the land issue between the two communities as a minor case,” he said.
However, Luth did not categorically name any politician or intellectual by name in his speech but says the land issue between the two sisterly communities is minor issue which was being politicized.
Luth said Mayendit County was established during a meeting in Padeah Village of Gandor in October 2002 from Leer County to bring more services closer to the community.
The two counties have seen a recurring circle of violence that led to killing, burning of houses and cattle raiding in recent years.