Torit, South Sudan.
Oct 20, 2016(Nyamilepedia) —-– An investigative report conducted by a local NGO and extended to Nyamilepedia has intensively investigated and revealed more insights on “who” might have carried out the killing at Momoi on Torit – Lafon Road on Oct 9th, 2016.
On October 09, 2016 Lafon County Commissioner’s convoy was attacked by unknown gunmen, and although the commissioner narrowedly escaped with gun wounds, some government officials and civilians were brutally killed.
After the disturbing images of this incident emerged on social media through a Facebook account owned by Mr Eddy William Mutte, this incident did not only go viral, registering many condemnations from Juba, but was also politicized.
Although the victims of this incident were all Equatorian nationals, the killing was politicized for a “MTN onslaught” and the victims in the graphics were falsely identified as Dinka nationals.
In response, the governor of Amadi State, Hon. Joseph Ngere, was forced to order an investigation and went on to arrest more than 10 senior officials including ministers, MPs, polices and security officers.
The motives of this arrest are not yet known, however, a local NGO, which has conducted many credible investigations, has conducted its own investigation and revealed many disturbing details that led to the incident.
Due to sensitivity of the case Nyamilepedia will not reveal details about the NGO and the investigators; however, it is upon the readers to make an informed conclusion based on these narratives.
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Begin the report …..
On October 09, 2016, Mr Eddy William Mutte once again posted on his Facebook account a set of six graphic and disturbing pictures of the killing at Momoi on Torit-Lafon road which showed a helpless child standing and crying in the middle of dead bodies including its mother.
According to Mr Eddy Mutte, a total of 8 people were killed and another 8 were wounded, including the Commissioner of Lafon County, in the Momoi ambush. Following the posting of those graphic pictures on Mutte’s Facebook account, some people expressed their dismay and condolences to the bereaved families and relatives and demanded to know the perpetrators of the Momoi killing, while others, like Mr Eddy Mutte himself, condemned and accused the SPLA-IO of carrying out the killing.
Given the lack of law and order in Imatong State in particular and in South Sudan in general, it is not at all surprising for some people to inappropriately attribute and apportion the killings in Imatong State to the SPLAIO or to the so called unknown gunmen before the said Imatong State investigation is concluded.
It is for this reason that the citizens of Imatong State should agree with Mr John Dorteo Omunu who stated that “The information I am hearing from other sources on the ground is that the Momoi ambush could have been an inside job robbery that targeted the commissioner of 2 Lafon County who was carrying salaries/money in the car”.
Indeed, one week before the incident the Governor of Imatong State called the Commissioner of Lafon County to come and collect the salaries of the Lafon County civil servants. In the evening of October 08, 2016, Mr Nartisio Loluke Manir held a meeting with the Commissioner of Lafon County in the presence of Imatong State Minister of Local Government, Chairperson of Imatong State Anti-Corruption Commission, one member of Imatong State Revenue Commission, Deputy President of Imatong State Youth Union (ISYU), Chairperson of Pari Youth Association (PYA) in Torit, and a brother of one Member of South Sudan National Legislative Assembly (SSNLA) in Juba.
“At the meeting which ended at around 2AM South Sudan Local Time, Mr Loluke directed the Lafon County Commissioner to immediately take the salaries to Lafon not later than that very day of October 09, 2016,” he said.
The Lafon County commissioner, however, informed Mr Loluke that he was not ready to go back to Lafon because his driver was sick. Mr Loluke, nevertheless, insisted that the commissioner had to go and that he be given a new driver from the Imatong State Secretariat to take him to Lafon.
He added that while on that same morning of October 09, 2016 the commissioner of Lafon County was hurriedly organizing a convoy of three cars to take him to Lafon, a contingent of Mathiang Anyor had already crossed Hinate Bridge from Lokono to the direction of Momoi under the pretext of reconnaissance.
“According to the available information, it was this contingent that carried out the Momoi attack on the commissioner, killing 12 people and wounding 8 including the commissioner himself. In fact, the Lafon County commissioner narrowly escaped the Momoi onslaught and is now being monitored by the national security in Torit State Hospital where he is being treated,” report read.
In response to the Momoi massacre, the Governor of the proposed Imatong State (IS) immediately blamed his political opponents for the incident, ordered the arrest of 13 former EES ministers, MPs and officials and imprisoned them in the national security facility in Torit.
The Imatong State authorities also used the Momoi incident to (1) “incite the youth of Pari to take up arms and hunt down Mathiang Anyor in Imatong State”; (2) punish the Pari for their past opposition and rejection of the then LOPA which led to its division into LOPA into 3 Lafon, Imehejek and Lopit West Counties; (3) implicate OTUHO of Loronyo and Loudo in the killings at Momoi in order to once again justify the deployment, looting and burning of these OTUHO communities by Mathiang Anyor; (4) collide Loudo and Loronyo with the Pari since the incident happened in Bur (Loudo Loronyo Corridor) and the commissioner and the majority of the victims are from Pari; (5) provide a pretext for tarnishing the image of and blaming the SPLA-IO and its supporters in the state; and (6) impress the President and show to the Jieng Council of Elders (JCE) that the current Imatong State government is capable of killing its own people in the name of criminals and bandits and can maintain the security, stability and order in Imatong State.
Therefore, the decision of Imotong State authorities to politicise the Momoi incident has unfortunately diverted the attention of Imotong State citizens from the heinous crimes and atrocities that Mathiang Anyor has so far committed against our people in the State, let alone the robbing of the salaries of Lafon County.
The decision has also perpetuated the assumption that Imatong State citizens are killing themselves, while at the same providing graphic propaganda pictures for the Jieng Council of Elders (JCE) to claim that the Dinka are being killed in the proposed Imatong State (IS), hence the Dinka too should continue killing non-Dinka in Dinka areas.
The same decision has further exposed the ignorance of the Imatong State government on the need for a written legal warrant required before arresting suspected citizens as was the case with the arrest of 10 former Eastern Equatoria State (EES) officials namely:
- Mr Tobiolo Oromo, former Speaker of Eastern Equatoria State Legislative Assembly
- Mr Mark Akio Ukinbul, former Eastern Equatoria State Information Minister
- Mr Charles Udwar, Imotong State Member of Parliament, Lafon County
- Mr Severino Maira, Imotong State Member of Parliament, Lopa County
- Mr German Charles Ojok, former Torit County Commissioner
- Mr Benjamin Ochan, Imatong State Member of Parliament, Magwi County
- Mr Hassan Urbano Oromo, former Eastern Equatoria State (EES) Member of Parliament, Lopa County
- Mr Dominic Otwari, Imotong State Member of Parliament, Kudo County 4
- Mr Clement Chichim Laku, former Eastern Equatoria State Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Kudo County
- Mr Dario Ukondo, Chairperson of Lafon Community in Torit
- Mr Angelo Ukoo, Deputy Chairperson of Lafon Community in Torit
- Mr John Uyu, Police Officer
- Mr Andrew Lithela Dingmoi, Natio
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