Jonglei State Government Orders the Arrest and Detention of Civil Society Activists in Bor
4 min readBy John Achiek De’Mabior, Bor, South Sudan
May 13, 2017 (SSB) — Jonglei State authorities have order crackdown and summary arrest of the Civil Society Activists in Jonglei State capital _ Bor. This comes after a couple of peaceful demonstrations organized by the group of civil society activists on the street of Bor on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
The street protests is being spearheaded three civil society organizations in Bor: the Jonglei Institute for Peace, democracy and Development (JIPDD), the Kreative Nile Family (KNF) Drama group and the Jonglei Civil Society Network (JCSN).
Among those detained are four member of JIPDD: Daniel Deng Anyang, Yom Mary Buol, John Achiek De’Mabior, Jongkuch Jo Jongkuch; Geu Philip Akau of KNF, while Dau Junior of KNF; Juuk Othana Mading of JIPDD and Wenne Madyt Deng of Jonglei Civil Society Network are on the run. Some of them have reportedly gone to the villages to evade arrest, while others are hiding in Bortown with relatives.
The crackdown on members of the civil society comes against backdrop of the arrival of the first Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan, Taban Deng Gai, with the high level Delegation formed by President Salva Kiir to halt fighting and find peaceful resolution to the ongoing youth fighting between Murle and the Greater Bor Dinka Communities.
The Taban-led peace committee was established by President Salva Kiir last week to quell on-going clashes between Jieng Bor and the Murle tribes in the east of South Sudan’s Jonglei State.
The clash was caused by the child abductions and cattle raiding that the Dinka have blamed their neighbours for over many decades. The meeting between the peace delegation, traditional chiefs and the state governor was interrupted on Tuesday and Wednesday by protestors chanting “we need our children and Cattles back ’’
The country’s First Vice President, who is largely unpopular in Jonglei for being a top commander of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) rebels that overrun Bor between December 2013 and January 2014, received cold reception on arrival.
“Who is Taban to people of Jonglei? Taban killed our old mothers in Jonglei church in 2013,” partly reads the protesters’ letter.
The protesters also demanded that they be compensated for the cattle that were stolen by the Murle tribesman, as well as calling for immediate justice for those killed during the numerous raids.
“Now the three top ring leaders of the demonstration are being hunted. We are told some security agents wanted to arrest us for leading a peaceful, legal protest,” shouted one of the protestor.
The meeting between Gen. Taban and Bor Dinka leaders was attended by the information and broadcasting minister, Michael Makuei Lueth, plus the state government of Governor Philip Aguer.
However, the meeting failed to reach consensus after the chiefs insisted that the government provides a detailed timeline to address child abduction and cattle raiding. The elders, youth and government officials from the Dinka community demanded immediate return of raided cattle and abduction children as prerequisite for any peace and reconciliation talks with the Murle.
Therefore, we, the representatives of the civil society organizations in Bor, Jonglei state, from the Jonglei Institute for Peace, democracy and Development (JIPDD), the Kreative Nile Family (KNF) Drama group and the Jonglei Civil Society Network (JCSN), are calling upon the Jonglei State Government to immediately and unconditionally release detained civil society activities and to cease pursue those on the run.
We need to remind the state government in Bor and national government in Juba that the main reason why Youth went to Murle land was to go and bring the raided cattle and abducted Children back home.
The civil society activists are calling upon the International Communities to look into this critical condition we are being subjected to by the state and national government, and to intervene and persuade the Murle community to return raided cattle and abduction kids.
Child abduction is a crime under UN laws and it is a big wonder that UNMISS has never released a statement purposely condemning it and calling out the Murle leaders for condoning and practicing it.
The author, John Achiek De’Mabior, is finance secretary of the Jonglei Institute for Peace, democracy and Development (JIPDD), and information secretary for the Jonglei Civil Society Network (JCSN). He can be reached via his email: jullet anyawa julletanyawa@gmail.com
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