South Sudan: Citizen X - No to Tribalism We Want Peace

Details: Written/Submitted by External Source; Category: South Sudan & African News From Various Sources; Published: 19 January 2012; Hits: 3128

Jared Ferrie

17 January 2012

Juba — South Sudan's troubled Jonglei state has been marred by violence over the past few weeks which poses a threat to the peace and stability of the newly independent state. Just over a week ago, more than 100 people wearing white clothing and armbands marked with an "X" marched along one of Juba's main thoroughfares chanting, "No to tribalism, we want peace!"

Public demonstrations are rare in South Sudan, but a recent spate of ethnic violence has spurred people to voice their concerns to the government.

The march was organised by a group formed in the wake of the violence, which calls itself "Citizen X" - a name signifying the members' belief that they are citizens loyal to their nation first, rather than their tribe.

Some marchers say they are shocked by the attacks in Jonglei state on New Years Eve, which saw about 6,000 armed members of the Lou Nuer tribe march into Murle communities, burning villages, stealing cattle and killing people.

"There is no reason we know why people are fighting, because we have already (been) fighting with the Arabs we got our country," said Majuoy Tuak, a 20-year-old student. "Now people are still fighting and we don't know what is wrong with the people."

Only yesterday 51 people were killed during an attack on the village of Duk Padiet and 22 people evacuated to Juba. The violence is perhaps even more disappointing as it comes a year after southerners voted overwhelmingly for independence from the Arab-dominated north, and seven years after a two-decade civil war.

Underdevelopment

Dina Parmer works with Pact, a nongovernmental organisation working to build peace among communities in Jonglei says the problem roots partly from underdevelopment.

"We're talking about a population that is suffering from chronic poverty and underdevelopment and are incredibly mistrustful of the state and not at all confident that their problems are being resolved," she said.

Tensions between the Lou Nuer and the Murle escalated during the first half of 2011 after a series of attacks and counter attacks left an estimated 1,000 people dead. The Sudan Council of Churches initiated a peace process that brought tribal leaders together to air their grievances. It was hoped the talks would lead to a peace agreement in December.

But the peace process broke down, and UN aerial patrols reported thousands of armed Lou Nuer youth marching towards Pibor in the weeks leading up to the New Years Eve attack. Yet, neither the government nor the UN was able to deploy enough troops to push them back.

"This is an issue of preparedness," argues Parmer who calls for the government and international community to take more preventative action. "We know these conflicts happen and to some extent they are predictable. We need to start planning for them effectively and that means putting troops on the ground, and having them adequately resourced."

Urgent plea for aid

According to Lise Grande, the the UN's humanitarian coordinator for South Sudan, the UN has struggled to support the 60,000 villagers who have fled into the bush after their villages were burnt to the ground during a series of attacks. "Some have been living without food, shelter or water for two weeks," she explains.

The displaced people have gathered in five main locations where humanitarian agencies are delivering aid. Of those areas, only one is accessible by road.

"We've put out an urgent plea for donor assistance so that we can secure at least four more helicopters, one for each of the towns, and that's the minimum that we require," says Grande.

The government has now deployed almost 4,000 security forces to create a buffer zone between the warring tribes. It also plans to launch a peace process and investigate those responsible for stirring up tension. President Salva Kiir has said those people include high-level politicians.

The march through the streets of the capital is a reminder that it is not only the international community scrutinizing the government's response. Its own citizens are watching too.

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