Lou Nuer in Australia Have Declared Their Support to the White Army
February 15, 2012 (SSNA) — After talking to Lou Nuer chiefs in South Sudan to grasp the gravity of insecurity posed by armed Murle militia, the executive leadership of Lou Nuer community in Australia called an emergency meeting which was attended by hundred members of the community. The agenda of the meeting was the insecurity in Jonglei State and lack of functioning government to protect innocent Lou Nuer civilians who have been repeatedly massacred by Murle with impunity.
After carefully examining the situation in Jonglei and state of political affairs in South Sudan, the Lou Nuer community unanimously agreed to support the Nuer White Army under the leadership of Bor Doang to protect innocent women and children from armed Murle youth whose criminal activities have been buttressed by thousands of Murle soldiers who deserted the SPLA army to fight the Nuer and Dinka communities. The participants of the meeting noted that since 2006, more than 1400 Lou Nuer have been massacred by Murle with impunity. The first genocide against the Nuer occurred in Nyandit Payam in 2009 when Murle massacred more than 350 women, elderly and children in one day. In 2010, more than 370 Lou Nuer were also killed in different villages. The August, 2011 massacre of 720 Lou Nuer in Uror County was the worst ethnic cleansing ever experienced by Nuer for the last three hundred years.
The meeting noted that the recent upsurge of hostilities between Lou and Murle was a result of repeated recent attacks by the Murle Community on Lou Nuer people in which hundreds of Lou men, women and children were killed or wounded, children and women abducted and thousands herds of cattle robbed. The Lou were left in desperate situation with no other option left to them except to retaliate in order to bring back their abducted women and children and stolen cattle since the State Government proved unable and helpless to maintain law and order throughout the state.
The participants of the meeting also noted that Murle have massacred hundreds of innocent Dinka civilians and abducted hundreds of kids for the last two years. The mass killings of Dinka civilians in Duk Padiet, Pawiel, Jale and Mar were deplorable and resembled crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. Murle also have been attacking Jikany of Ethiopia, South Sudan and displaced thousands of Ethiopian Nuer who abandoned places like Bilpam due to Murle’s incessant cattle rustling. It was also reported that Murle went as far as stealing the cattle of South Sudanese refugees deep inside Gambella region of Ethiopia. In short, Murle have been a threat to peace in the Horn of Africa and must be confronted by all forces of the region.
All Lou Nuer who attended the meeting unanimously rejected the government of South Sudan’s plan to disarm everybody in Jonglei State. The participants stated that disarmament must target Murle first because thousands of Murle soldiers of the SPLA deserted the army and are now killing Nuer and Dinka civilians as insurgents. In a state where thousands of Murle deserted the army with an intention of massacring people, disarming Nuer and Dinkas White Army does not make any sense because it is a license to Murle to commit more genocides and mass killings.
When the same regime of Salva Kiir disarmed Lou Nuer in 2006 without disarming Murle, the mistake led to death of more 1400 Lou Nuer. Prior to disarmament, Lou Nuer and Dinka civilians were responsible for their security because they were able to fight Murle. After 2006 disarmament, Nuer and Dinka became vulnerable to Murle armed criminals and lost thousands of people because they didn’t have guns to defend themselves. Now that Nuer and Dinka are able to defend themselves, any person talking about disarming them is worse than Murle criminals who are killing them.
The participants unanimously passed a resolution calling for the Nuer White Army to resist disarmament by all means possible because the regime in Juba cannot provide security. First, Salva Kiir must kill or apprehend Murle soldiers who left the army to kill Nuer and Dinka. Second, the Nuer and Dinka need a period of two years to see whether the SPLA army can provide security before they accept any disarmament.
All the Lou Nuer in the meeting concluded that the regime in Juba cannot be trusted to provide security of Lou Nuer if the White Army is disarmed. Believing the regime of Salva Kiir to provide security is akin to believing Omer Bashir to provide security to Dinka Ngok in Abyei. If Dinka Ngok could not be expected to surrender their security to the words of Omer Bashir, believing Salva Kiir’s regime to provide Lou Nuer security is suicidal.
The participants mandated the executive leadership under the guidance of Mr. Maduk Muon Kuny to talk to White Army to continue protecting civilians from Murle criminals. All Lou Nuer promised to support the leadership of the White Army morally, socially and politically in order to effectively defend the Nuer from external threat. The executive leadership is also mandated to convey to the leadership of the White Army the position of Lou Nuer in rejecting Juba’s proposed disarmament that will expose civilians to more killings. The community urged the executive leadership under Mr. Maduk Muon Kuny to inform UNMISS that any involuntary disarmament carried out by the regime of Salva Kiir will lead to civil war and more insecurity in Jonglei State. Disarmament cannot be carried out unless the regime in Juba apprehends thousands of Murle soldiers who deserted the SPLA. Any attempt of disarmament directed against the Nuer and Dinka White Army prior to the apprehension of Murle soldiers who deserted the SPLA is a declaration of war and must be resisted by all means.
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