Northern Liech State Government Condemns Barbaric Attack By Armed Criminals from Tonj State
Northern Liech State Governor, Hon. Nguen Manytuel, his Minister of Information, Lam Tungwar and soldiers holding a meeting in Northern Liech State in January, 2019(Photo credit: SSNN)
Friday January 18, 2019(SSNN) — South Sudan’s Northern Liech State government condemns recent attacks at the cattle camps at Loat of Bul East County by armed criminals and calls on the Government of Tonj State to apprehend and punish the criminals
According to the State Minister of Information, Hon. Lam Tungwar, the attacks were launched at 5:30am and dozens of civilians, mostly children and women were killed.
“The Government of Northern Liech state condemned the barbaric attack on Northern Liech state cattle herders who have camped in Loat – Bul East County on 15th Jan 2019 at 5:30am” Lam Tungwar strongly condemns the attack.
“the attackers took lives of more than 28 individuals mostly children and women and injured more than 22 individuals who sustained severe injuries, the armed youths attackers who where from Tonj State rundown the cattle camp and looted more than 3000 cattle leaving behind only their calves.” Lam said.
Hon. Lam calls on Tonj State government to apprehend the criminal and return the cattle to their rightful owners.
“The state of Northern Liech and the leadership condemned this barbaric and cowardice acts on the civilians by the armed criminals and we strongly asked the government of Tonj State to apprehend the culprits and let them face justice according to our country law and recover all the looted cattle and return them to their rightful owners.” Hon. Lam warns.
Lam reiterates that the government of Northern Liech State sends its heartfelt condolences to all aggrieved families, relatives and friends.
“As the state government we extended our heartfelt condolences to all the grieved families, relatives and friends of all the deceased, the governor of Northern Liech Dr Joseph Manytuil Wejang who is also the chairperson of Northern corridor bloc reinterates his call for calms among the youths in the regions, May God Rest their soul in peace.” Lam Said.
SSNN Analysis;
Cattle rustling is very common in the world’s youngest nation, South Sudan, and it is predominantly carried out between the pastoralist communities which are also the major tribes.
Although majority of South Sudanese tribes are of Nilotic background, and they keep cattle, violence raids are usually carried out by the Dinka (the largest tribe), the Nuer(second largest tribe), Murle, Mundari and less frequently by other minor tribes.
Within the last two months, Nuer cattle were raider in Bieh State by armed Murle youth from Pibor state targeting the Lou-Nuer cattle camps and respectively the last week attacks in Bul East county of Northern Liech State were carried out by heavily armed Dinka youth from Tonj State targeting the Bul-Nuer cattle.
Although South Sudan government does not directly involve in such tribal cattle raids, the National government and the army does not intervene. The government neither condemn nor act to restore security in affected areas unless the hometown or the clan of the Minister of Information, Governor of the affected state or that of the president, Chief of Defense Forces or the home village of the Director of the National Security is affected or will be affected by revenge attacks.
In the two recent attacks, the National Government has not come out to condemn the attacks or send condolences to the families who are affected. The receiving local governments also usually do nothing.
Within the last few years, youth from Bul-Nuer or formerly Mayom county went on rampage looting cattle and destroying properties of other Nuer clans within Unity State or raiding the neighboring Dinka tribes but the Northern Liech State government of formerly Unity State hardly came out to condemn, apprehend the armed criminal or sends condolences to the affected communities.
Cattle rustling in South Sudan goes beyond the current civil war but the government of Salva Kiir or the former SPLM/A guerrilla movement never made significant attempts to resolve it.
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