UNMISS conducts patrols in Lakes State

30 Apr 2015

UNMISS conducts patrols in Lakes State

30 April 2014 - Following continued violence in parts of Lakes State, UNMISS teams are regularly conducting joint monitoring patrols to verify claims of attacks in local communities.

Different factors in the state, however, sometimes make it difficult for teams to properly assess allegations and draw proper conclusions.

On 23 April, military and police personnel from the Mission carried out a patrol in the vicinity of Lake Nyibor in Rumbek East County.

Nyibor, which is 80 kilometres outside Rumbek town and borders Unity State, is a cattle camp situated near a lake which serves as a water point for the cattle-keeping communities’ animals.

Community members in the area, which had been attacked twice in recent days, claimed that the attacks were made by Sudan People’s Liberation Movement In Opposition (SPLM-IO) forces fighting against the SPLA in neighbouring Unity State.

The fact that Lakes State has witnessed an ongoing cycle of inter-communal cattle raids and revenge attacks compounds the difficulty in verifying such claims.

“How do you know that these people were from the SPLM-IO?” Colonel Ahmed Umar, the patrol team leader, asked inhabitants of the area.

Matoc Malith, a native of Nyibor, said they had based their suspicions about the attackers who had also looted their animals on certain ethnic factors.

Another resident, Malou Makuei narrated how the attack took place and how they had defended themselves with their own guns. He noted that some of the attackers were wearing military uniform, but others were in civilian clothes.

“On Wednesday our people were fishing by the lake and suddenly they saw a group of people coming to attack,” he said. “The people ran and informed us and later we clashed with them.”

Two people were killed and one of the attackers was injured and taken to the main Rumbek hospital, Makuei added.

The community maintained their claims that armed opposition forces have started fighting in Rumbek East of Lakes State, but they could not provide enough information for the patrol team to confirm these allegations.

Yesterday, Radio Miraya reported that tension was growing in Cueibet County, Lakes State, following the killing of two people.

Cueibet County Commissioner Isaac Mayom Makek said he believed it was a revenge killing.