Press Statement : Collo members of the National Legislative Assembly of the Republic of South Sudan

Date 03/03/2014

Dear compatriots

We the members of the National Legislative Assembly of the Republic of South Sudan of the Shilluk constituencies condemn in the strongest words possible the barbaric ongoing killing of the Shilluk people (children, women, the aged and the disabled) in Makal (Malakal town), Panyikang, Fashoda and Manyo Counties including Baliet county of Upper Nile State by Riek Machar tribal rebels he mobilized to over throw his party led government in a coup d’état that miserably failed. We pay tributes to those who lost their lives and condolences to their loved ones. We owe our thanks and appreciations to Malut and Renk counties who have been and still hosting the IDPs from the devastated counties of the state

Riek has no reason to kill loot and burn the houses of the innocent Shilluk who are not in military uniform. Riek can target the Shilluk in the Government Army to fight and kill them but not their mothers, sisters and daughters to kill and rape. This gross criminal act of human abuse is condemned and deserves legal suit. Like other communities in the Republic of South Sudan, Shilluk are known for their hospitality and valuing of the human life. If a Shilluk man or woman finds a dead body of a human being lying on the ground that dead body has to be buried regardless of his/her tribe. No Shilluk can pass a dead human body... They have not known cattle raiding and looting other people properties. With Riek rebellion every person who escaped death in Malakal can tell you how dogs and chickens were eating human bodies. In the first capturing of Malakal people who were zc1111cdkilled, their dead bodies were consumed by dogs and chickens. The bodies were not buried and nobody bothered to collect the bodies and bury them.

Dear compatriots.

The history of our struggle was a long way to the independence. We attained it through bloodshed and suffering of our people. Therefore, its security and development entirely falls on all of us as political parties, faith base organizations and civil societies. Importantly, we have to stop the current rebellion led by Riek Machar and his followers so that South Sudan is protected from becoming another Somalia in the region. This can be done through creation of internal front strongly supported by the government. Otherwise, the efforts done by our martyrs throughout the years of struggle will be like papers in the dust bin.

The fighting now is spreading like wild fire in the greater Upper Nile States of Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity State, where Riek Machar forces are killing people raping women and burning houses to ashes   

Again, we strongly condemn Riek and his undisciplined army for creating havoc by destabilizing the entire Country without any meaning in sight. This is naivety, to claim power through the use of the gun in the twenty first century. It is a common saying by every community in South Sudan that power and leadership is God given. Despite the advices given to him by many people to form his party to enable him sells his objectives. Riek and his group who are disowning him now deliberately failed to listen to those who advised him to do so. But he continued to fight his President within his SPLM Party which resulted in the crisis the country is facing now. The SPLM Party perhaps did not study the case of the group well, otherwise a mechanism for conflict resolution would have been found apart from

The party basic rules that regulates and disciplines any party registered member who cannot comply with the parties basic rules. Lives and properties would have been spared.

Recommendations

 We urge the government to execute the following urgent recommendations;

·        To equip the National Army with military requirement needed to defend the country

·        To urge international community intervention to provide humanitarian supply to the internal displaced persons of the war affected states

·        To dismissed the entire government of Upper Nile State and appoint a new state cabinet to handle the state of emergency in Upper Nile State headed by a new governor.

·        To provide the youths of the affected counties with fire arms to protect their people and properties from Riek forces.

·        We strongly support the current ongoing negotiation in Ethiopia.

·        We argue the government and the SPLM in Opposition to respect and implement the session of hostilities they signed on the 23^rd January, 2014, and to hurry up with the formation of the join technical committee which shall be supervised by Monitoring Verification Teams.

Hon. Andrew Okony Ayom,

Minority Chief Whip,

Chairman SPLM-DC Caucus,

South Sudan National Legislative Assembly,

Juba.