Resolution of Lou Nuer Community Meeting Addis Ababa Ethiopia

[right]19/04/2009.[/right]
[center]Lou-Nuer Community meeting in Addis Ababa.[/center]




In a mourning mood and in showing their solidarity Lou-Nuer community in Addis Ababa, held a two days meeting between 18-19 of April in regard to recent raiding on twelve villages in which more than 177 people killed by Murle tribesmen. However, according to Akobo Commissioner, Mr. Doyak chol Dol, contacted by telephone expects the death toll to rise above 300 if all the affected villages’ chiefs bring in their reports.

This cycle of cattle raiding {rustling} between Lou_Nuer and murle communities, has raised an emotional concern given its new twist of killing children, women, elderly and burning down of villages.

The recent attack by Murle on Lou-Nuer villages is retaliation in less than two months when the same kind of attack was carried out by Lou-Nuer tribesmen on murle villages. This recurrence raids, seem endless since both the Jonglei State and GOSS governments refuse to take any action in stopping this brutal killing.

Lou-Nuer was disarmed in 2006 while Murle and the Dinka Bor were not disarmed for a reason well known to the two governments. Since than, a series of attacks by armed Murle and Dinka Bor tribesmen never cease on Lou-Nuer villages, killing armless people and depriving them of their livelihood (cattle). In all those raiding the two governments and SPLA forces stand aside and look in spectators’ position.

Lou-Nuer community has raised this concern in a number of times including meeting with the top government leaders calling for:

-the disarmament of these two communities as it was done to them brutally by these governments through SPLA forces,

-protection since they are armless.

All these calls fall into deaf ears of government leaders. What does this tell Lou-Nuer community? The answer is obvious that these governments don’t care of killing of innocent Lou-nuer.

In February this year, Lou-Nuer armed with spears and a few firearms, made a retaliatory raid on Murle to reclaim back their livestock and abducted children. This attack resulted in devastating killing of innocent people from both sides. Recently Murle has retaliated again but heavily armed to the teeth with arms and ammunitions from Khartoum Government.

Surpassingly, in both fighting, the SPLA forces in Murle and Lou-Nuer areas remain locked up in their barracks enjoying mass killing of children, women and elderly. One wonders of what reasons was the SPLA forces deployed in those areas in the first place. The two communities in a question feel neglected and an unwanted by the governments thought would offer protection of their lives and properties. Instead the governments and the army enjoy the videos of massacring of children, women and elderly. Instead the governments and their forces locked themselves in their tukuls avoiding clouds of smoke from burning villages.

Because of this organized elimination of Lou-Nuer and Murle Communities, the Lou-Nuer community in Addis Ababa, held this meeting in expressing their greatest dissatisfaction, lost of trust of these governments and SPLA forces. The community is hereby calling for immediate implementation of the following resolutions arrived at during the meeting.

1- All sons and daughters representing both Lou-Nuer and Murle communities in Jonglei and GOSS governments and elsewhere must resign from their political posts with immediate effect to show their solidarity with their communities. Whom are they going to represent if their communities distinct while the governments they are working with don’t listen to them?

2- Immediate withdrawal of the SPLA forces from Lou_Nuer and Murle areas and be relocated in government preferred communities for their protection since these two communities don’t deserve protection from these governments.

3- The leaders from both communities should come to their respective communities in sharing their grievances and look for ways of bringing peace and reconciliation in their traditional ways.

4- Rejection of any attempt of further retaliation from both communities.

5- Immediate return of abducted children to their biological families.



Lou- Nuer Community in Addis Ababa





CC: GOSS Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny

CC: Lou-Nuer Council

CC: All Hon. MPs of Lou-Nuer

CC: All Hon. MPs of Murle

CC: All Lou-Nuer County Commissioners

CC: Pibor County Commissioner

[size=12][color=#000000][font=Calibri][b]CC:[/b] Government of Jonglei State[/font][/color][/size]