CEPO Welcomes President Kiir’s Response to Deadly Violence between Twic Mayardit and Ngok Dinka
The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) has expressed its gratitude towards President Salva Kiir for his positive response to their advocacy for him to take proactive action on the escalating violence between the Twic Mayardit and Abyei Ngok Dinka communities.
The recent outbreak of armed violence has raised concerns of potential crimes against humanity or genocide. CEPO is urging the President to take decisive steps in disciplining the perpetrators of this deadly violence.
According to Mr. Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of CEPO, the violence between the Twic Mayardit and Ngok Dinka communities is politically motivated by the political elites of both groups, both within the country and in the diaspora.
The targeted killings of political leaders is deemed unacceptable and serves as a catalyst for potential genocide or crimes against humanity. Yakani emphasizes the need for the President to take serious actions against the political elites responsible for fueling the violence.
CEPO has outlined several key decisions that they believe the President should undertake to address the situation. These include legal action against identified political and other elites involved in fueling the violence, imposing restrictions on the movement of armed youth and their allies in the contested areas, immediate implementation of the resolutions of the Council of States on the conflict, and empowering community structures such as civil society, traditional leaders, faith-based leaders, youth, and women from both communities to promote reconciliation and peaceful coexistence.
CEPO appeal to president Kiir to arrange a meeting with influential members from both the Twic and AAA communities, emphasizing the importance of maintaining peaceful coexistence. Given their continued respect for president, they are likely to lend an ear.
Following the meeting with the elites, the President could consider visiting Twic and potentially arranging a meeting with representatives from AAA. The feasibility of such a meeting with AAA remains uncertain.
The President can also advocate for the implementation of a buffer zone in the disputed areas, but this will require a well-thought-out strategy involving the United Nations and the international community. Presenting it as a temporary solution, the President can propose the deployment of non-Nuer/Dinka personnel from the SSPDF.
To discourage conflict over the revenues from Anet, the President can offer incentives to both regions, encouraging them to prioritize peaceful coexistence instead.
Yakani stressed the importance of President Kiir avoiding a soft approach and the formation of committees to handle the deadly communal violence, as it has been done in the past. He hopes that the political leadership of Warrap State and Abyei Administrative Area will come up with concrete and action-oriented resolutions.
CEPO plans to initiate peace interventions within the month and calls for political support from the President’s office.
In the latest news development, President Salva Kiir has summoned the SPLM leaders of Bahr el Ghazal region to Juba to address the ongoing conflicts in the area, particularly in Warrap State and Abyei Administrative Area.
The President has called upon Governor Kuol Muor Muor of Warrap State, Rin Tueny of Lakes State, Tong Akeen of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, and Chol Deng, the administrator of Abyei, to appear in Juba on Tuesday to discuss ways of ending the security concerns in the region.
Governor Muor Muor confirmed the summoning, stating that the governors of Warrap, Abyei Administrative Area, Unity State, Lakes State, and Northern Bahr el Ghazal will attend the meeting to discuss possible solutions to the security issues in the region. Warrap State has been plagued by conflicts between cattle raiders, as well as the ongoing dispute between the Twic and Ngok Dinka communities over the disputed land of Aneet town.
The recent killing of the Abyei deputy chief and his five bodyguards in an ambush in Aneet by unknown armed youth has further escalated tensions.
Governor Kuol urges the armed youth from Twic County to cease their fighting with the Ngok people over the land issues, assuring them that the government is committed to resolving the conflict.
Governor Kuol expressed his dismay at the senseless war being practiced in Warrap State and neighboring areas. He sternly warned the youth that he will take severe action against anyone found continuing the violence. He emphasized that the government owns the land and not the communities, and urged the community to approach him with land-related issues instead of taking the law into their own hands.
The President’s summoning of the SPLM leaders is seen as a positive step towards finding a peaceful resolution to the security concerns in Bahr el Ghazal.
