S. Sudan holdout group condemns killing of innocent civilians in Eastern Equatoria
An Opposition leader, Dr. Hakim Dario, Chairman of PDM in Washington, DC(Photo: supplied)
June 19, 2020 (SSNN) – A South Sudan holdout opposition group has condemned the killing of civilians by unknown armed men in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state in an ambush which has so far said to have killed around six people.
The People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) led by Dr. Hakim Dario said in a statement extended to South Sudan News Now that the militia group responsible for the attack is directly sponsored by President Salva Kiir and ex-governor of E. E. state Louis Lobong.
“The People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) is outraged by Salva Kiir’s tolerance for Namorunyang Militia in the home of the defunct Kapoeta and Namorunyang State Governor Louis Lobong Lojore that has continued to cover Budi county with blood and violence, which started with the killing of 54 women and children in May 2007 and in which the locals identified to the UNMISS investigators the brother of Governor Louis Lobong as the militia leader who led the cowardly attacks on the unarmed women and children,” the opposition group said in the statement.
“The heavily armed militia of Namorunyang at the behest of some unscrupulous politicians in the state has since continued on and off to terrorize and murder innocent Didinga civilians in Lauro of Budi county with the aim and policy to depopulate Lauro from its local inhabitants and open it up for takeover by Chinese Gold Investment companies that are now operating and mining gold in Lauro as we speak.
“This has further been corroborated by the Sentry Report, which identified Governor Louis Lobong’s and President Salva Kiir’s family members as the main shareholders and owners of the gold mining companies for their personal and family benefit.
“In the last 48 hours, the members of this militia force have struck again on Kapoeta-Lauro road where six innocent travelling civilians were stopped and then murdered in cold blood and left the bodies to burn in the car they were travelling in, a heinous crime committed by a suspected Toposa of Namorunyang militia force.
“The Juba Dinka and JCE regime under Salva Kiir has allowed the former Governor Louis Lobong Lojore to rule with impunity, dealing in shabby and suspicious gold mining businesses with Chinese, his and President’s families as the Sentry reported.
“President Kiir has maintained a policy of divide and rule in Kapoeta to protect Juba Dinka gold exploitation business interests and control over the borders in Nadapal, manned by Dinka and not by local members of Toposa or Didinga communities who are denied authority and employment in their own border towns!
“The members of Namorunyang militia force are said by the locals to be well armed with PKMs and automatic weapons. Since the Chukudum crisis of 1999 in which the locals in Budi county fought back in self-defense due to atrocities committed by the SPLA against innocent civilians and avenging the death of Deng Agwang in a shootout with a local SPLA commander Peter Lorot, Dinka SPLA/M leadership maintained a divide and conquer policy using a Toposa, Louis Lobong Lojore against the Didinga to maintain their continued influence and control over the divided locals in former Kapoeta state since 1999.
“The policy has allowed the former Governor Louis Lobong Lojore to police the Lauro gold mines for Juba Dinka families and their cohorts and against the people of Eastern Equatoria as well as Greater Equatoria in General.
“Under Louis Lobong, a whole state was carved out by Juba Dinka and the JCE and named after his village as Namorunyang State before it reverted back to Kapoeta after a huge embarrassment and rejection of Namorunyang by people of Greater Kapoeta, which includes Toposa, Didinga, Buya, Jie, Nyangatom communities.
“Louis Lojore has remained a divisive and not a uniting figure in Eastern Equatoria, serving only the interests of his masters, the Juba Dinka and the Jieng Council of Elders, which explains why Salva Kiir has maintained him for all this time as a gold business partner at his side.
“The People’s Movement calls upon the communities of Greater Kapoeta to unite and end impunity of Kiir’s puppets and their ill-gotten wealth from illegal gold mining activities as The Sentry Report have called them out. The insecurity and killing of innocent civilians in Greater Kapoeta only serves the interests of gold mine owners, maintains corruption and deprives our citizens political power to make decisions and chart democratic and people-centric policies which serves their best interests and good, transparent and accountable governance in their country.
“The country and with the curse of Kiir’s goldmines in Lauro, the country will remain littered with untamed communal and ethnic violence not just in Greater Upper Nile but also in Greater Kapoeta, that is for as long as Kiir and Louis Lobong continue to rule with a free hand to sit over Lauro huge gold mines.
“The People’s Movement and South Sudan NADAFA together with the awakening of the youth in our country will bring change and recover the billions of stolen wealth in the business and personal accounts of all corrupt officials and politicians who served in public office and enriched themselves and their families at public expense.”
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