Gen. Lul Ruai Koang: Over 120 People Killed in Tonj East County of Luachjang Dinka Community

Updates on Tonj Clashes

Eighty One (81) Killed and in Tonj Clashes
A total of 81 people died following two days of consecutive clashes between Disarmament Forces and heavily armed Gelweng Youth. Among the dead are 55 security Forces and 26 civilians.

31 servicemen were also wounded. The wounded servicemen are receiving specialized treatment at Juba Military Hospital. Number of fatalities along with wounded could rise.

As things stand, Security Forces had managed to restore calm, law and order in areas affected by armed confrontations.

Intellectuals, members of Legislative Assemblies, traditional chiefs and other important stakeholders are helping in further stabilization of security situation.

To stop tensions and further escalation, Disarmament Forces withdrew to Ngob Agok.

Two servicemen involved in triggering off initial clash had been apprehension further investigations.

Army’s top leadership is appealing to traditional chiefs to held in identification and apprehension of three armed youth that had attacked at night (8th August 20200 Disarmament Forces’ position at Romic in order to ascertain correct motive.

Peaceful Disarmament exercise will continue in Greater Tonj.

Regards.

Maj. Gen. “psc”(Eth) Lul Ruai Koang,
Director for Media & Press and SSPDF Spokesman,
SSPDF GHQs-Bilpam

Juba TV: What exactly caused the fight between the SSPDF and youths of Luanyjang community of Tonj, Warrap State?

The young man below is a cattle keeper (Gelweng), he was tortured because of the red scarf (handkerchief) attached below. The red scarf was tied over the head by this young man and several age mates of his age set.

While moving nearby the SSPDF base in the area going to the cattle camp, he was called by a matured SSPDF soldier. The innocent young man went to him and asked, why do you call me? The SSPDF soldier yelled, sit down, maras, belit, sejman, mouton, and all sorts of assaults.

The young man sits down and the soldiers descended on him beating him mercilessly. In the end, he was told that they (SSPDF) beat him because of Red scarf. That was a day before the incidence happens. On the incidence day, the same soldiers called another young man (Gelwengs) passing by, they yelled on him the same way. A young man knowing how brutal the soldiers are, he ran! While running, one soldier pulled out the gun and shot him dead on spot. When the eye witnesses (also young men) see the action, they ran. The same soldiers shot at them and wounded another you man who later died before reaching home.

The young man shot dead on spot is the son to the paramount chief of Luanyjang community (the largest community in Warrap State).

The youths were saddened, and they decided to retaliate but they were confronted by chiefs. The sun was going down.

On the other hand, the cattle camp and the SSPDF base are a few steps apart. You can see cows in the camp while standing in the middle of the army base.

The soldiers were behaving wild to anyone they see moving, they shot every moving grass let alone the dog and a person. In the process, one of the youths who were not in the chiefs advised youths came and shot at the soldiers. Immediately, soldiers responded ugly by shooting into the cattle camp using PKM and 12 artillery killing almost 600 cows. The camp was also home to countless women, children and the aged.

The youths were still at the monitoring scene by chiefs. At the moment of shooting, the soldier shot into the nearby homes till they killed Payam administrator who was also the brother’s son of the paramount chief.

In the whole of the night, the youths mobilized themselves around the villages near the army base. And finally, in the early morning at 5:30 AM, the soldiers shot one pedestrian who was moving from far going to the market. The youths on hearing the gunshot, the laid down offensive tactics until the overran the army base, capturing the army pick up cars, guns, and some lazy soldiers with the wounded (soldiers). The captured soldiers and their wounded personnel were helped by the chiefs and taken to the PHCU. The youths (Gelwengs) pursued the soldiers killing several of them and some soldiers threw away their guns and ran into the bushes.

That is how banging happened!

The causalities counted to 100 both sides, whereas, the civilians confirmed dead are 15.

The current situation on the ground!

Yesterday afternoon August 9, 2020, after the army soldiers ran out of ammunition against the unarmed civilians in Romic, the soldiers retreated to Langchok, after failed mission to overwhelm and wipe out the civil population to serve their retard theory that the civilians should never be persuaded to dialogue with the army, instead of that they should be crushed to submission to prove govt’s might and existence.

The retreat of the army is a clear indication that there is no military solution and Rin Tueny Mabor must rethink with the way he deployed soldiers that have high affinity to settle old scores with Luanyjang community.

Trying to send another expedition, instead of pursuing a peaceful mean, will be a grave mistake because it’s not civilians fitted among themselves, rather it’s civilian or communities resistance against the soldiers for committing a heinous crime against the citizens.

So to achieve peace, the govt just needs to send in an intellectual team of peace and inquiry, and not send in the uncivilised soldiers to mismanage the fluid atmosphere, obliterate the little and few souls that have been left behind in Romic.

13 chiefs of Luanyjang tried their very best to restrain the visibly charged youths to not resume confronting the govt soldiers, though they’re known culprits.

The victim community had pledged to fight in self-defense with their spears and clubs to resist the colonial tendencies and mindsets exhibited or orchestrated by the current govt soldiers, even though the soldiers have supplies unless they sit down and dialogue with them through their local government, the chiefs.

The short term solution thereof to resolving Romic misunderstanding is to not allow back the sluggish and thuggish soldiers to Romic, give some lag times for the victimised youths to recover from the horror, and the army to sincerely apologize to Tonj community, particularly Tonj East or Luanyjang.”

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