BY ANDREW OLWENY.
Dec 3, 2015(Nyamilepedia) —- Witch hunting by the South Sudan government has intensified in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State, despite the signing of a Compromise Peace Agreement that was expected to end the conflict.
With indefinitely postponed “end-of-war” IGAD-Summit and delayed arrival of the advanced team of the SPLA-IO, Juba has redoubled its harassment of those it suspects of being or having ties with SPLA-IO (Rebels) in Equatoria region.
Using both harsh silencing and dubbed sideline talks with the arrow boys in the region, the government has continued to deploy troops and displace civilians in both Western and Eastern Equatoria states.
Duku Justin, a local Citizen in Moli stated: “Will someone tell Mr. Kiir and the JCE that since the signing of the peace deal, there is now no Rebels lead by SPLA-IO in South Sudan! Being an SPLA-IO soldier or being affiliated with SPLA-IO is not a crime nor illegal given the peace deal! Therefore Juba must stop witch hunting, arresting, torturing and killing those it suspects of being members of the SPLA-IO otherwise Juba then remains at war and has not honored the compromise peace deal.”
In Magwi and Abara, Panyakwara, SPLA-Juba is making life impossible, news arriving from Magwi shows people are tense and the government seems poised to strike anytime.
In Moli, Andru, A woman who brews local bears for incomes to feed her 6 children all underage was arrested and beaten until she vomited blood for having as clients those suspected to be members of the SPLA-IO.
According to Duku the SPLA soliders should expect the woman to check the background of her clients.
“When you have a legal product to sell, do common citizens have to check background of their clients before they can sell anything to them? Again here why would this Mother of Six be subjected to tortures to the point of vomiting blood simply for selling alcohol to those whom the government should not witch-hunt in the first place. Haven’t Juba sign the peace deal and shall implement it?” The Citizens continue to ask intelligent questions.
In Pageri, Four businessmen, Lemi Joseph Anthonio, Izard James Anthonio, Tiodi Robert and Emma Nelson, where arrested and tortured to obtain forced confessions after being accused of being or supporting the SPLA-IO!
A lady who gave her name as Goni, asked, ” is the peace being implemented, Mr. Kiir? If it is then why tortured those you have signed peace with, even if these civilians you arrested from their homes and business place where true soldiers of SPLA-IO?  Don’t you think by behaving this way you are actually recruiting more followers for the SPLA-IO?”
Of these accused, two are brothers. While everyone else has been released after days of severe tortures, per the report, Lemi Joseph Antonio is still in the hands of SPLA-Juba stationed in Pageri and beaten terribly and in a critical condition to the point at one point the soldiers had to take Lemi for treatment in Nimule Hospital from his beatings.
Author’s note:
We at South Sudan liberty News Appeal to IGAD-Plus, if we are going to implement this compromise peace deal then Kiir must also declare cessations of hostilities towards Civilians not just against SPLA-IO, but must abide by his words.
No more tortures and no more witch hunting! Again we agree with the assertions above, there is no longer SPLA-IO rebels because in Signing the peace deals Kiir must accept the realizations that South Sudan is now a nation with TWO separate Armies until out of the two armies, leaders put together a truly national men and women that shall uphold their constitutional mandate of protecting Civilians instead of hunting, torturing and killing them! Until then, Juba must stop witch hunting and IGAD-plus must not fail in its duties as a party in the peace deal and must enforce civilian protections and the peace deal.
If there is truly peace deal then there is truly no SPLA-IO Rebels thus the witch hunting must STOP.
ANDREW OLWENY is a South Sudanese journalist reporting from within South Sudan. He can be reached at andrew.olweny@gmail.com
10 comments
Andrew Excellent reasoning of these mere Citizens and asking critical questions. Indeed if there is a peace deal between the waring parties then there are no more enemies nor rebels to be hunted and shot. Kir must stop going after the so called rebels because now they are national armies under SPLA-IO.
IGAD is proving to be useless because they do not call Kiir out. Kir is wicked, VERY.
Andrew bro. you are talking with some threatening my friend, if not the GVT all over the world have their own security organs; who are always responsible about the country ‘security affaires. thus then, security-personnel can not accuse people with no reasons unless some people had have linkage with the SPLA IO the main rebel in country.
You people are routinely unfaithfully, to government S. Sudan but loyal to the Rebel- groups SPLA IO. so that loyalty ‘ll give you no result benefiting to hour expectations. Riek Machar you are backing-up can grant nothing to you people who have blind-haters.
After the Peace agreement there are no SPLA-IO rebels period, How no one see the important point made above. The country has two separate armies.So don’t talk of Rebels under SPLA-IO, except you are talking of other groups outside SPLA-IO.
Telling lies will not help rebel of Riek machar,s Nuer. all are baseless information, if you were not being help by signing the compromise peace agreement your Fake movement will not exist for the next two years. because I know Shulluk- Nuer rebellion cannot exist for some years.
shulluk like to stay in Khartoum and Nuer like Ethiopia and khartoum as well. these two tribes are FAKE tribes among the tribes of south sudan Now itis good that Kiir mayardit has peacfully divided the state accordting to the need of people of south sudan , there will be no complain from other tribe being dominated by other tribe Shulluk state will be rule by NYIKANG and Nuer state will be rule bt NGUNDENG. from there development will take place all states
Obviously, your type are parasites, feeding on the national coffers and do not work, purely parasite allowing you time to be on the computer and speak nonsense. Nuer and Shulluk are south Sudanese just as you are how can you talk such nonsense. You want the 28 states? It will break South Sudan up and try and you shall see
Francis Deng,
All your points are well taken. As a supporter of government of South Sudan, nobody can take away your Rights. You are entitle to your Rights as a person. Each every South Sudanese should all have the same Rights.
To be fair with each other, it is equally important to allow others to have the same Rights. If they support the rebels they have the Rights to choose whom they can support. The people should be free.
The government or the rebels should allow South Sudanese to choose what they like to do. The government has no Rights to kill or prison those who support the rebels. The people who join the rebels found themselves oppressed by their own government.
Kiir is wicked!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reporter Olweny is a liar. There are no SPLA units in Magwi or Abara. The SPLA barracks in Pageri behind the police post was removed sometime in mid march 2015. What Olweny is not aware of is that, his sensational false stories is a cause of anxieties among the local population.
Nikalongo
Nikalonogo, You are a Paid mouth piece of the JCE and Kiir. If your are from Eastern Equatoria, then you are followers of JJ Ogot who is a complete slave of Kiir just like Louis Lobong. How could you refute the truth on the ground, if you are really here in Magwi county? Your likes will run with your Husband Kiir one of this days. South Sudanese are fed up with these Gangs of thieves.
Nikalongo,
I don’t know why you continue to leave in denial all this while!! Nikalongo was on record denying that war will remain a Kiir-Riek affair far off in dinka and nuer backyards – now war is right in the middle of Equatoria.
Nikalongo, are people still dancing to the sweet tunes of the akanango these days in Yambio? Are people in Mundri and Lui going about their farming?
You obviously are writing with little information. The SPLA (so-called republican gourds) were initially stationed out of Pageri close to Eyibi river. They were then relocated to a place out of Pageri along the road to Juba – in a place just behind the telephone masts. Soldiers from this detach prefer loitering in Pageri town centre and mingle with the locals in their homesteads.
Now Nikalongo, was the attack on the SPLA detach before March 2015 or after? Stop writing what you obviously don’t have any clue about; close that sanduk for once!!!