By Kiden Stela Mandela
Intercommunal conflicts are threatening the security of citizens more than civil war in the country, the government must take decisive action to bring the practice to an end.
The genesis of these cyclic conflicts can’t be traced as sporadic revenge attacks continue, mostly among the cattle-keeping communities but this practice has trickled to non-traditional cattle corridors.
Patently, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure the safety and security of citizens, more especially, women and children who often fall victim to suffer most in conflicts.
Taking what is happening between armed youth in Jonglei state and the Pibor administrative area, it becomes an alternative game for them today. If armed youth from Jonglei launch an attack, killing, and abducting children and women, the youth from Pibor, do the same in return. The wheel keeps spinning.
It’s difficult to point at one side yet a conflict involves two or more players to take place, while leaders have become protective of their sides, as clearly demonstrated on Tuesday before the National Assembly.
A scary report of over 80 deaths, not inclusive of abductions of inter-communal conflicts from the greater Jonglei, alone, was presented to the August house but no action plan was set to mitigate further recycling.
In South Sudan today inter-communal attacks are politicized in a way that nobody understands and also the youth are being used by individuals without realizing the interests of those who use them.
For the inter-communal violence to stop the government needs to disarm all the cattle raiders completely for some states to have total peace, otherwise without that there will be nothing new but more killings and abductions.
If all the guns are collected, it will help the government to avoid the issue of arms embargo in the country and it will help in building the national army.
Since the graduation of the unified forces last year, citizens have not heard about their deployment apart from the few that are around the Airport. It would be better if they were deployed all over the states to protect citizens from facing such situations in the country.
Armed Youth groups should be stopped from abducting children and women and killing innocent civilians at their premises.
it is very wrong otherwise government takes the blame for the act if no serious measures are taken.
I argue the national government and the international peace monitors operating in South Sudan to intervene in curbing abductions and unnecessary killings in some states in the country.
If this continues, it will have outclassed the whole country which is not good and also those who are clandestinely supporting the armed youth should be investigated and brought to account for the crimes committed.
God Bless South Sudan
Be right there!