Africa-Press – South-Sudan. South Sudan’s First Vice President and leader of the main armed Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) Dr. Riek Machar Teny has directed the country’s governors to bring to an end the escalating inter-communal clashes in most parts of the country
Machar made this call during the 5th governor’s forum which began in Juba on Monday. Inter-communal violence has been on the rise in the country leaving hundreds of people dead, women and children abducted, cattle stolen, homes burnt to the ground and thousands forced to flee.
Since December 2019, there has been an escalating cycle of violence in Jonglei involving three ethnic groups of Nuer, Murle, and Dinka that has left more than 2,000 civilians dead, and in Lakes State, Warrap.
Experts believe that failure of the government to protect civilians from violence, investigate incidents, and hold perpetrators accountable has contributed to this cycle of attacks which have resulted in increasing numbers of casualties in Tonj, Jonglei, and Abyei where Miseriya have been terrorizing Dinka Ngok.
Machar said the inter-communal violence pose threat to ongoing peace efforts in the country. “But the Rome Initiative is there which we believe will bring in the holdout groups to the peace process but the most devastating issue is now inter-communal violence, cattle rustling, child abduction and women abductions and destructions of villages,” Machar said.
The powerful opposition leader said although fighting between political parties has significantly reduced the intensity of inter-communal violence still remains high.
“Inter-communal violence is happening in the states and it happens around the capital, it is dragging us back. The political violence has come to an end although we still have pockets in Central Equatoria,” Machar said.
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