Press Briefing on Yambio: Security Situation in Western Equatoria Improves
WES Press Briefing
August 4, 2015 (SSB) — The security situation in Western Equatoria has improved significantly today following days of ethnic violence involved pastoralists and local youth and communities in Yambio and surrounding villages. However tension still remains in some areas.
A delegation of MPs ( Hon George Kosta, Hon Anthony Lino Makana, Hon Victor Danda) and Division 6 Army Commander had joined the State Government earlier on 1st August 2015, trying to help mediate and bring peace and stop the violence. First two days was mostly spent discussing with state authorities and local communities but the youth complained that it was the armed pastoralists based in Hai Kuba in Yambio who are the ones shooing at people without warning which is prompting them to be mobilising to go and attack them also to avenge the deaths of their people.
The Army Chief of Staff also did visit Yambio but only talked to his troops and State authorities were surprised to hear that he ordered the Army to apply shoot to kill policy only on the local youth without reference to the armed pastoralists or trying to address the root causes of the violence. Hence the State Government together with the MPs delegation and the Army commander took upon themselves to hold a rally with the pastoralists on 3r August 2015. During the rally terms of peace were well spoken and some Dinka community members expressed their desire for peace. It transpired that most of those inciting the violence are not those who had lived longer in Yambio but new comers and some elements of the SPLA who had deserted there position in the barracks to go and back the armed pastoralists mainly with hope of looting something in the violence.
However it was communicated well to the pastoralists that the community said they had no desire to harm them but the youth seemed, despite appeals of restrain from State Government, responding to acts of brutality from few soldiers who made the whole think to turn into ethnic base violence. The commander of Division 6 asked all SPLA elements who had deserted their barracks and joined the pastoralists to fight the locals to return to their barracks otherwise they would be disciplined severely.
After this meeting with pastoralists , the State Governor and his State Security committee , committee of MPs Delegation and Army commander Division 6, all went also to communicate the terms of peace and truce with pastoralists to the local youth and community who gathered in Masiya area on the road to Nzara. The Army commander said he deployed SPLA commandos from a different tribe not involved in clashes to protect the market and act also as buffer between the two sides. These terms was accepted by the local community who expressed their desire for genuine peace with no misbehaviour from elements from the SPLA or pastoralists towards their people.
With such terms of peace and truce being achieved, the MPs delegation left for Juba yesterday afternoon, while the commander of Division Six remained in Yambio to attend to other disturbances and acts of brutality. In Gangura payam headquarters the previous day, 2nd August 2015, heavy gunfire had erupted there after some SPLA reinforcement was sent to the area to beef up security after those who were instrumental to the outbreak of violence in Birisi were withdrawn to Nzara. However the new units, upon arrival in Gangura payam immediately started looting the area and burning houses and firing at the people indiscriminately which also draw response from local youth and the population fled into the bushes. Gangura is about 20 miles from Yambio.
The event has led to the State Legislative Assembly Speaker , Rt. Hon James Bage being cut off in Nabiapi 9 miles away at the border with Congo. This is the main reason of the disappearance of the Speaker from the state capital but we understand he is safe there. The road to Nabiapai is impassable from this SPLA unit act of violence in the area as anybody can be shot at. It remains to be seen how the SPLA leadership will move to stop this act of violence again in Gangura payam but the State Government is demanding removal of the new units who seems to go there with act of revenge or looting in mind.
From the 29th July to the 3rd of August WES authority counted 10 deaths although there could be some more deaths from the pastoralists and Army units side who had joined the pastoralists and whose figures has not been relayed to us, the State authorities. Six people died on day one and subsequently 4 deaths followed including one policeman killed on the day of attempted looting.
The State commends the Governor Col Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro for his steadfast love to keep the peace and acting promptly to protect the market and Yambio city from looting. Also the help of the MPs delegation and the Commander of Division 6 are highly commendable for the calm which is returning to Yambio today. But more needs to be done to maintain the calm and peace because some pastoralists are still armed and moving with their guns even if there is no shooting going on. An investigation committee which was formed will follow up on that also.
Hon. Eng. Charles Barnaba Kisanga
Minister, State Ministry of Information, Communications and Tourism, WES, and WES Government spokesperson.
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