Equatorian Intellectuals Bash off demand for justice over grabbed land in Sharikat
Protesters sitting woods on fire in Sharikats as they demand justice over the killing of five people by gunman from president Kiir’s family(Photo credit: supplied)
June 4, 2020(SSNN) — The recent incident at “Sharikat-Bor” park has caused outraged as many South Sudanese mourned the death of five but as time goes by South Sudanese intellectuals and youth on social media found themselves exchanging tribal sentiments and heated debates over who should demand justice.
Initially the issue was the used of unnecessary force on unarmed civilians by a well armed officer and a son of the first family but as the narratives keep changing, the issue became a matter of Dinka-Bor exchanging insults and intimidations with their Dinka-Bhar el Ghazal counterparts;
Protests have gone on both in Juba, the capital, and Bor of Jonglei state as Dinka-Bor youth begin to target members of Dinka-Bhar el Ghazal community; however, more bystanders from the Equatorian community are outraged for their own reason, land grabbing, which has been a big heat in South Sudan politics for the last 15 years.
“Those who are thinking tribally about the land dispute in Sherikat, which resulted in many unnecessary death are far from resolving the underlining issue. One FB post, outcries, “Dinka Warrap is now killing Dinka Bor for a land that is grabbed from Bari.” This pretty much sets the tribal sentiment and tribal implications surrounding this issue. So, the Bari are fighting against both the Dinka Warrap and Bor for grabbing their land. The Dinka Bor is thinking that they are defending themselves from Dinka Warrap over their rights, while forgetting they also have another enemy, Bari, accusing them of land grabbing and don’t give a damn about the justice that they are demanding. The Dinka Warrap feels that they are being targeted by Dinka Bor, while also forgetting that the Bari see them as just land grabbers like the Bor people and don’t give a damn about their pleas. So, you have three tribal groups entangled in a land dispute, which simply involved individuals because of fail land distributions policy.” Said an Equatorian politician, Steve Paterno, who is a low grad South Sudan Ambassador to Washington.
According to Equatorian intellectuals, the Dinka are fighting over a piece of land that does not belong to either of the communities but to the owners, the Bari.
“Shirikat land belongs to Bari. That whole area including area along Juba-Nimule near Nesitu were grabbed because they think it’s no man’s land. We told some of our Dinka brothers and sisters that there are no good monsters, but bad monsters. Well, they keep singing on rooftop Kiir Oyeee..” Said one intellectual, Omunu.
“It is good for them! They killed, displaced and exiled none Dinka tribes. It is time to fight each other. May they all go to hell!!” Said one intellectual, Ukuki.
“a Dinka general told my uncle “you will be buried next to my grandfather in Gumbo” when my uncle said “this is our land our grandfather was buried here”. So he took our land.” Said another intellectual, Margaret.
“Gumbo land belong to Bari. Dinka took the land by force. Now they are killing each other about the same land.” She added.
“My father’s land is where they have built the petrol station in Gumbo faragu sika. My brother was beaten when he demanded the land back so we just left it to God since we are voiceless. I can see the God of the deprived is fighting for us” Said another intellectual, Vicky.
“That’s insane and evil, fighting and killing over Bari Land! God forbid, after chasing the villagers. Everything done in the darkness God will bring it into the bright light” Said another intellectual, Lily.
“We Barh El Ghazelian have destroyed our reputation among other South Sudanesse communities by using force against other citizens of South Sudan. Shame on we Dinka Barh El Ghazel” Said another intellectual, Dengdit.
“Image that Salva Kirr’s son killed innocent people because of land. Kirr must go period” Dengdit continued.
The debates are heated and the threads are endless as they take tribal overtone and the reality that is facing the victims of land grabbing is far from imagining.
South Sudan has faced issues of land, especially in Equatoria and contested cities like Malakal of Upper Nile and Wau of Western Bhar el Ghazal.
Although these cities are claimed by different minority tribes, one factor in these disputes are the two major tribes, the Dinka and the Nuer.
Some politicians and intellectuals from the minority tribes who have tried to step up in attempt to resolve these land disputes have ended in jail or lost their jobs in the process.
Some communities have overstayed on lands that did not initially belong to them but by the virtue of having stayed in those areas for five to thirty years they claim ownership of such lands.
A similar dispute was held recently in Nimule where a group of Dinka declared themselves as “Dinka-Bari” and pledged that they have nowhere to go and that’s a fact that needs to be accepted by the ancestral owners of the land.
In other parts of Equatoria this issue is even more complicated where thousands of herds of cattle are involved.
The government of Salva Kiir has done very little to resolve these disputes and shootings like what happened in Sharikat two days ago are not news to many residents of Juba.
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