Youth leaders demand apology after governor’s remarks on 1991 massacre

BOR – Youth leaders in South Sudan’s Jonglei State have condemned Governor Riak Gai Kok for remarks they say downplayed the 1991 Bor massacre, accusing the official of stoking ethnic tensions in a region still recovering from decades of conflict.

The backlash follows a public address by Gai in Poktap, Duk County, where he launched a verbal attack on First Vice President Riek Machar.

Gai, a long-time ally of President Salva Kiir within the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), accused his rival Machar of projecting a reformist image in the capital Juba while allegedly pushing ethnic narratives in rural areas.

However, youth leaders allege the governor went further, using the platform to deny or minimize the severity of the 1991 Bor massacre—a bloody event in South Sudan’s history where forces linked to Machar killed an estimated 2,000 civilians.

Angeth Kut, a youth leader from Bor County, described the governor’s comments as “biased and reckless,” warning they insulted the memory of those killed and displaced.

“Such a claim is not only historically false, but it is an insult to the memory of thousands of innocent civilians who were brutally murdered and displaced by White Army attackers during one of the darkest chapters in our history,” Kut said.

The 1991 massacre occurred after Machar split from the main rebel movement led by John Garang. The ensuing violence, carried out by the “Nasir faction” and armed civilians known as the White Army, resulted in mass civilian casualties and famine.

Kut stressed that the event is a well-documented tragedy, not a political fabrication.

“I myself am a victim, like the entire nation. By denying the deaths that occurred, you erase the suffering of women, children, elders, and men whose lives were violently taken. This denial deepens wounds that have never fully healed and sends a dangerous message that the lives of victims do not matter,” Kut added.

The group has demanded an immediate public apology, arguing the speech has damaged the governor’s credibility.

“Your statement has shocked many citizens of Jonglei State, especially the Bor community and South Sudan at large. It has offended survivors, dishonored the dead, and weakened public trust in your office,” Kut said.

David Garang, another youth representative, said the remarks undermined peacebuilding efforts, which require an honest confrontation of past atrocities.

“The governor is sugarcoating what happened in 1991 instead of accepting the facts. When we fail to acknowledge past wrongs, we cannot forgive each other,” Garang said. “Peacebuilding is achieved when realities are stated and perpetrators accept responsibility.”

Garang added that the denial of historical facts has alienated Bor residents from the state administration.

“A governor is supposed to be a unifying figure. By denying what happened in 1991, it sounds as if the displacement and killings never occurred. This has raised serious concerns and caused many people to lose trust in him,” he said.

Civil society groups have repeatedly urged leaders to avoid rhetoric that reopens these historical wounds.