South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The transitional unity government has been urged to take proactive measures to end the rampant intermittent communal violence that threatens to derail preparations for elections in the country.
“It is very concerning to have begun the year with multiple reports of violence in different parts of the country, in particular the Abyei Administrative Area and Unity, Warrap, Western Bahr el Ghazal and Jonglei States,” Maj. Gen. Gituai said the Interim Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) said during plenary meeting held in Juba on Thursday.
His remarks came in the wake of widespread violence in the Abyei Administrative Area, Warrap and Western Bahr el Ghazal that left more than 150 people killed since the start of January this year.
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On 29 January 2024, more than 50 people including women, children and two U.N peacekeepers in Abyei were killed and 64 others wounded in an attack by suspected armed youth from Warrap state.
Abyei is an oil-rich area that is jointly administered by South Sudan and Sudan, which have both staked claims to it.
Gituai said that the peace monitors deeply regret the loss of the lives of 50 people in the communal violence in Abyei.
“For example, over the weekend of 27-28 January 2024, it is deeply regrettable that over 50 lives were lost in inter-communal fighting in Abyei, including two peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei,” Gituai said.
“Sadly, these attacks follow a pattern of continuing violence between local communities of that area in recent weeks and months,” he added.
Gituai called for dialogue among conflicting communities to break the cycle of violence.
“Much is at stake for the people of South Sudan as they seek to have their democratic aspirations met by holding their first elections as an independent nation,” he said.
He urged the government to restore permanent and sustainable peace, security and stability in areas affected by communal violence.
The Embassies of Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States in a statement have urged the transitional government to hold accountable perpetrators of the violence in Abyei Special Administrative Area.
“We express our condolences to the families of victims of the violence and condemn the killing of aid workers who provide emergency life-saving assistance,” they said in a joint statement.
They also renewed their call to the government, community and religious leaders with influence to act with urgency to help end the cycle of violence.
