Juba, South Sudan
May 18, 2022 –— The Commissioner of Mayiandit County of Unity State has termed as baseless the accusations against him by the Ceasefire & Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring & Verification Mechanism.
In a statement to the media, Gatluak Nyang Hoth denies having mobilized armed youth to attack villages in the neighboring Leer County.
This follows a report by the ceasefire monitoring body – CTSAM-VM, which accuses him and his Koch counterpart of having instigated the deadly violence that costed innocent souls.
Last month, armed youth allegedly from Koch and Mayiandit counties purportedly raided number of villages in Leer County, resulting in death, destruction, and displacement of thousands.
CTSAM-VM alleges that the commissioners of Mayiandit and Koch are to blame for the deadly violence that inflicted losses in Leer County as well as parts of Koch County, last month.
“Mir Mir Cantonment Site was overrun on 11 February by Kit-Gwang elements & armed youth reportedly instigated by the Koch County Commissioner. Consequently, armed clashes spread to Mayiandit and Leer counties,” Lieutenant General Asrat Denero Amad, the Chairperson of CTSAM-VM said in a report.
“There were reports of continuous attacks from 4th to 8th April by the Koch and Mayendit County Commissioners on SPLM/A-IO forces and the Leer population in Leer County.”, Amad added.
In his response to accusations, the Commissioner of Mayiandit County Gatluak Nyang says he wasn’t in the area during the clashes.
“In the previous days, a report was issued by CTSAMM accusing the commissioner of Mayiandit of mobilizing the youth in the area to attack Leer,” Nyang told media.
“I would say these accusations are baseless. Knowing that these accusations must be based on reality,
“As commissioner, I have security and administrative tasks, and those who share these tasks with me are the police and then the army if necessary, on the incident of 6th of April, I was in Mayiandit I heard their clashes in Mirmir, we have no connection with what happened in Mirmir.”, he denied.
Commissioner Nyang claims that he had lost control of the armed youth whom he revealed were more powerful than the local government.
“I would like to add that we are commissioners, we do not have the authority or the ability to control the armed youth. Since the outbreak of the events in South Sudan, most young people have carried weapons,” Commissioner Nyang said.
“Armed youth, if you attack their cattle they will respond to the aggression no one has authority over them. Regardless of where you belong, whether from the opposition or the government. As long as you attack their cattle, they will deal violently with you,there is no single commissioner in South Sudan who can say that he has power over armed youth. What CTSAMM said about me mobilizing the youth to attack, is not true.”, Mayiandit Nyang argued.
According to UNMISS, some 181 people including 23 children have been killed since the violence began.
Last month President Kiir formed a committee to investigate the incidents of Insecurity in Leer but so far the committee hasn’t reached the field.
Gattiek Wichar, Press Secretary in the Office of Chairperson of the Investigation Committee Hon. Manawa Peter told Nyamilepedia this morning that the committee is in preparation to go to Unity State from there up to three concerned counties for fact finding exercise.
“..The Investigation Committee on Incidents in southern part of Unity State is preparing its way to Unity State and would also proceed ahead to visit three counties (Koch, Mayiandit and, Leer) and that would be the time where we will expect public to start counting 14 working days as stipulated in the terms of references of the committee “, Wichar told Nyamilepedia from South Sudanese capital Juba on Monday.
