By William Madouk
Twic Mayardit community in Juba is calling for an investigation into the Anyiel Kuac incident in Turalei Payam, Twic County.
In a statement extended to the No. 1 Citizen Daily Newspaper, the community leadership urged the government to bring the culprits to justice.
“We call upon the government of South Sudan to take immediate action and intervene in this matter,” partly reads the statement.
“We urge the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the attacks and bring perpetrators to justice,” it added.
They also demanded that those responsible for the destruction and loss of innocent lives be held accountable for their deeds.
“We also call on the international community, regional organisations, and peacekeeping forces to actively engage in resolving the conflict between Twic Mayardit and the Abyei Administrative Area.”
According to the Twic community, it is crucial for parties involved to come together and find peaceful and amicable solutions rather than carnage.
Furthermore, the community added that attacks frustrate any efforts for peaceful resolution.
They also condemned the incident and blamed the Abyei youth for not adhering to presidential orders.
“The orchestrators of these attacks have shown absolute disregard for human life and the sanctity of peace,” they noted.
“Regrettably, this is not the first time the Abyei Administrative Area, supported by the armed elements from Unity State, violated and disregarded the directive from President Salva Kiir Mayardit,” the community echoed.
On Friday, the commissioner of Twic County, Simon Aguek Chan, told No. 1 Citizen that Abyei Armed Youth, backed by militias from Unity State, defied the president’s order and attacked Anyiel Kuac area of Turalei Payam in Twic and burned houses to ash.
According to the reports, five villages, including a medical centre, were burned to ashes, and hundreds of heads of cattle were raided by the assailants.
However, the information minister of the Abyei Administrative Area, Bulis Koch, denied the allegation.
“First, we respect the presidential orders that were issued by H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit concerning the conflict between Ngok and Twic. Secondly, our youth did not launch any attack on Turalei,” he denied the claims.
Meanwhile, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation (CEPO) has issued a statement voicing its concerns about the violation of the presidential order on the Twic Mayaradit-Abyei conflict resolution.
CEPO executive director Edmund Yakani condemned the recent violent attacks on Anyiel Kuac Boma of Twic Mayaradit County and the killing of three civilians and a soldier in an attack on the Achoum-Choum area of Jur River County in Western Bahr el Ghazal state.
He stated that these acts of violation demonstrate clear attitudes of undermining and a lack of adherence to presidential order.
“These practices are getting more common, like how the presidential order on the return of cattle was undermined till it died a natural death,” Yakani echoed.
“CEPO is therefore urging the H.E. President to establish the committee for the implementation of the presidential order urgently and ensure that the leaders of the armed groups in the conflicting communities are informed and given tasks to observe the presidential order,” he added.
CEPO’s boss noted that these pockets of deadly communal violence are posing a real threat to holding the proposed national general elections in December 2024.
Mr. Yakani stressed that the spread of pockets of deadly communal violence across the country is increasing in the eyes of the political leadership.
He urged authorities to step up efforts to deter communal violence.
“It is high time that state governments and local government institutions are empowered to proactively engage in the mitigation and prevention of deadly communal violence.”