LAFON COUNTY YOUTH RESPONSE TO GOVERNOR OF IMOTONG STATE OVER HIS STATEMENT ON LAND ISSUE

June 13, 2019 Press Releases, South Sudan

TITLE: THE LAND ISSUE SHOULD NOT BE USED BY THE HON GOVERNOR TO DETRACT ATTENTION:

RE: THE RESPONSE TO THE HON. GOVERNOR OF IMOTONG STATE, REGARDING HIS STATEMENT ON EYE RADIO ON LAND ISSUE.

THE IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

BY THE LAFON COUNTY YOUTH.

Lafon County Youth performing traditional dance in Pari town(Photo credit: SSNN)

June 13, 2019(SSNN) — Allow me respond to Torit’s Governor, Hon. Tobiolo Oromo regarding his statement on Eye Radio about the culprits who caused the clashes between Pari and Otuho calling themselves the Greater Oronyo Community of Torit County. First we need acknowledge and appreciate the steps and the tremendous effort taken by our security and organsing forces which led to the arrest of 13 perpetrators.

On behalf of Lafon County Youth Union and on my own behalf, we would like to congratulate Imotong State governor who ordered the trial of the 13 suspects accused of instigating the clashes which led to loss of 17 lives and 10 nursing injuries from Pari in Ohiri. Hon Governor Tobiolo Oromo took a wise decision to table this deadly conflict to the National Government and requested their intervention to calm the situation and reinforce law and order. It was necessary because of the complexity of the conflict. In these situation our national army has to ensure the protection of civilians in the area. While the Torit State Governor has ordered that the 13 suspects stand trial, Governor Tobiolo Alberio agreed that they should be charged with the killing and displacement of civilians in the village and possession of arms. This will be a lesson to those who take the law into their hands and abandon the traditional ways of solving disputes. It was a despicable crime and is unacceptable by human standards or the Bible to kill. No man should take the life of another. Thus the law must take its course without prejudice so that those who still have a mind to kill will not repeat the crime.

However, I have a concern about a quote by Governor Tobiolo who said that the clashes were ordinarily over land. This incident was well planned by group of the Oronyo Community clearly indicated in their petition. The so called GREATER ORONYO COMMUNIT ASSOCIATION ( GOCA) submitted a written petition on the 9th April 2019 to the office of governor. This narrated a history of the conflicts which had no grounds in the truth. I do not want to enter into details as I believe the Governor has read it. This is how we became aware that Pari people were killed because of land but clearly it was just their justification to kill innocent people. In the initial tensions, the governor of Imotong was aware of this when he sent the two commissioners to resolve the boiling tensions between the two communities. The Pari community gave the same report to the governor as they had done before but because of the wicked preparation by the Otuho of greater Oronyo. The Torit commissioner seemed to believe them after sleeping in Ohiri village. Most of us got a surprise attack by the so called Oronyo Community.

The actual problems of which the people are expecting to be addressed in that meeting are follows:

On 2/2/2019 Atara and Odyong shot Ukongo Ukor in his thigh on his way from Pacidi to Torit without any reason.
On 18/2/2019 Ohiri boy stole six (6) and three (3) goats belonging to Mr. Urich Achiba from Pacidi.
On 18/2/2019 Nyadiye was threatened with death by Ohiri people but escaped narrowly to her village , Lwala Pacidi payam.
On 13/3 2019 sixteen goats belonging to Uyani in Upuo Payam were stolen by Ohiri people.
On 14/3/2019 eighty (80) goats belonging Saturlino Ukongo were stolen by Ohiri people.
On 21/3/2019 a youth named Uliendo Udere from Ungebe, Kor was stabbed with a knife by John Kathulnas in th bush while carrying building materials. Someone by the named John who is from Oronyo village had planned to kill him.
On 22/3/2019 , Henry Uwar the local government officer and 9 girls on their way from Torit to Pacidi were arrested and badly tortured without any reason. In that incident four (4) girls were trapped by the Ohiri and they narrowly escaped death.
On 23/3/2019 the commissioner of Lafon County came from Torit to Pacidi carrying a message from the Commissioner of Torit County informing the people of Pacidi to go to Ohiri on 24/3/2019 in order to address the problem between the two communities basically regarding what happened on the roads, beating and raping young girls and the stealing of goats. Of course, these are serious crimes. The Pacidi people welcomed the message with hope in resolving those recurring incidents and ultimately they will get reconciliation. These are not issues about land as claimed by the Greater Oronyo leaders, Aliardo Allamson Kulang, who alleged that the Pari had invaded their land in his petition to the Governor.

My argument here that this should not divert our attention as mentioned by the governor. He should have listened to both communities. It was the claims by Aliardo Allamson Kulang and those who are still on the run that caused lives to be lost. The issues of land should not be used to hide the atrocities against the Pari community. The governor must be consistent in ensuring that the 13 perpetrators should only answer for crimes against humanity and possession of arms. The claims about land a different approach and the two scenarios should not be mixed.

Can be reached for more information:

Lafon County Youth Union Chairman

Email address: Nyibuch15@gmail.com

Paul Ukach Nyibuch

Lafon County Youth Union Secretary

Email address: benjaminukongo@gmail.com

Benjamin Unyang