The beginning of the end of Murle’s menace
4 min readBy Wilson Mading Koc, Juba, South Sudan
April 19, 2016 (SSB) —- A fortnight ago a rag-tag Murle militia entered western Ethiopia and did what they usually do best, killing and mutilating of Ethiopian citizens…According to media reports in the last one week about 200 Ethiopians were killed plus 100 children abducted in the Gambella region. The Ethiopians in return killed about 60 gunmen and are threatening to enter South Sudan one to protect its population and two rescue the 100 abducted children.
Ethiopia is reportedly consulting with government of South Sudan, as to when it is appropriate to engage the marauding militias and how best to do it without causing human catastrophe.
They are coming from the air and the ground. Their first request is to carry out a joint campaign with the SPLA counter-parts. The idea here is that only government provides security and when a militia subject pain and agony to any part of the country only the state will take it head on. The Murle have grown horns over the years and for some reasons they seemed to always enjoy protection of the government of the day, simply because they are easily used as proxies.
During the reign of Sadig El Mahdi, the Murles were armed and were directed against their own neighbours as a way of deviating liberation struggle into ethnic skirmishes.
When Bashir took over power in 1989 he kept the plot, Sultan Ismail Kony became his point man in sabotaging SPLA operations in the area, as a matter fact, the Murles put up a stiff resistance in 1996 against the SPLA operations around Pibor area and the campaign objective of capturing Pibor had to be called off.
Now under Salva Kiir a known pastor David Yau Yau has turned brutal after losing elections in 2010. This man could not petition the courts and present his evidence of rigged elections, instead he immediately formed a rebellion and went on ethnic cleansing of his neighbours particularly the Anyuak, the Nuers of Akobo, Dinka Bor and the Jeers in jebel Koth’ngoor. The very neighbours were not even part of the peace talks that government initiated with Yau Yau in 2014.
Even surprising to many was the nomination of the former private secretary of the President as the leading negotiator. This man call Akot Lual who knows nothing about anything except making money was charged with negotiating with Yau Yau on behalf of the government.
For God sake, David Yau was not claiming any stake in Juba and if peace was genuine then he had to talk peace with his neighbours who endured his rage and brutality or alternatively government should have moderated between communities affected and Pastor Yau Yau.
That was never the case Abuna Yau Yau received goodies from the state and kept his murderous weapon the militia. Even when the deal stipulated cobra faction was to be integrated into the SPLA in a matter of months, integration delayed for reasons only known to Akot and the functionaries around the high office in the land.
Whatever the reasons are for keeping cobra faction for three years is not an excuse, Ethiopians are not part of the chain/scheme where this militia is used to terrorise the surrounding areas.
Ethiopians are angry and what they don’t tell the South Sudanese is that they are coming to disarm the Murle with or without the support of South Sudan government. Whichever way this goes it will not be business as usual for the Murle and their masters in Khartoum and Juba. Ethiopians are unequivocal they will reduce them to size at least to an extent of bringing cross border raids to an end.
You can reach the author via his email: Mading Koc <madingkoc707@gmail.com>
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