Five people died in Jonglei State during the Christmas day celebrations on December 25, 2021, in different counties.

In an interview with The City Review yesterday, the police commissioner in Jonglei State, Joseph Mayen Akoon, said that there were cases of insecurity reported on December 26 which included cattle raids and ambushes in Yuai, Duk Padiet, and between Bor and Gemeza.

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Two of the 25 people who were travelling to Yuai from Duk Padiet were killed, while 23 others survived. Also, 12 people who were driving cattle were also ambushed and one person among them was killed and another injured.

Another person who was travelling from Bor to Gemeza was killed, in addition to a girl who committed suicide after being rebuked by her parents.

This brings a death toll to five people killed, one injured, and 33 people survived the ambushes and 23 cattle raided.

Early killings                      

Earlier this month, the office of the governor of Jonglei State released a statement revealing that 34 people were killed in the month of November.

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These were ambushes and revenge killings following the death of two men who were killed on their way to Anyidi from Bor. There was also the slaughter of seven traders from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area by angry Anyidi youth.

Since then, ambushes have never stopped, including the killing of seven students who returned from school in Ethiopia, and other killings of Bor traders between Gumuruk and Machabol in revenge of the seven traders from GPAA.

Call for peace

The governor of Jonglei State, Denay Jock Chagor, earlier this month called for the Pieri peace accord to be implemented by Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), and Jonglei State as an effort to end killings.

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Chagor in a press statement said that his state was committed to the Pieri peace accord and urged the chief administrator of GPAA, Lokole Amee to woo youths in his administrative area to shun the killing of innocent citizens.

“The peace between us and the GPAA is bigger than everything. However, we feel that little is honoured by the Greater Pibor Administrative Area for not doing enough to cease recurrent attacks,” the statement read in part.

“The government of Jonglei State has strongly condemned the recurrent incidents on Jonglei’s citizens, and I call upon the authorities of GPAA to dialogue with their youth and advise them [to avoid] recurrent attacks so that we both embark on peacebuilding.”

The Chairperson of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area Steering Committee, Juma Laduz, said the youth in GPAA was committed to the peace agreement, pledging that his administrative area would probe attacks on criminals and bring them to book if they are found to be from Greater Pibor.

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“Currently, the youth in GPAA is still in the provision of having peace with Jonglei State. Everybody is expecting that peace to be implemented. The suspicious eye could be on the side of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, which we could not deny, and we cannot accept because there is no proof showing that these people are from Greater Pibor,” he said.

“We will also investigate if these people could be people from Greater Pibor. They should be arrested, of course, because they are the peace spoilers. An investigation will be conducted by the government and the youth even in the bomas and villages,” Juma said.