The war between Lou and Gajiok has ended; the remaining killers must be treats as Criminals.

The war between Lou and Gajiok has ended; the remaining killers must be treats as Criminals.

By Kueth Yul Dieu
April: 4th 2009

The internal conflicts and fights or (Ter) within Nuer tribe is not new, people lives with it from generation to generation. However, the war between Gajiok Nuer and Lou Nuer sections has gone beyond the normal expectation. During the 1993 and 1996 fight between these two major Nuer sections, many bad steps that are not worth to mention were reached and thousands of life and properties were destroyed, while many hundreds of thousands others were displaced. Both Lou Nuer and Gajiok Nuer fighters involved in such ugly activities which is ridiculous in Nuer culture.

While the major war has stopped, the illegal killing is continue and many love ones were killed unjustifiably by individual criminals. Those criminals are being praise and considered as heroes by their families while they are jeopardizing the life of vulnerable society by placing the life of others in danger. These criminals need not to be praised at this time if the present Nuer generation especially Lou and Gajiok wants to live in peace.

Recently in March, some individual criminals from Lou took armed and killed two innocent men from Nasir, one business man, and another in the village. The killing was due to unconfirmed message which those Lou criminals received that some of their love ones were killed somewhere in Nasir. Instead of allowing the authority to investigate the message, they went ahead and just killed innocent people. The Akobo authority was aware of the incident and took an immediate action to apprehend those criminals and brought them to justice. The authority have also collected the messenger who brought the letter in the boat which carried the message that two business men from Lou were killed in Nasir and incarcerated him in Akobo local jail as well. Lou Nuer Diaspora especially the relatives of those criminals were not happy for the killing of these innocent Nasirians. The relatives in fact had put their hands on the apprehension of their criminal brothers and encouraged the authority to treat these killers as criminals and judge them in authoritative ways.

On March 12 two weeks after the killing took place in Akobo area, a group of unknown numbers from Nasir took arms for revenge which killed 12 people and wounded 5 others. Most of those killed were children and women. The killing was very shock to the entire society because it is not common in Nuer culture for a man to kill a woman and a child intentionally. Even in the last Gajiok and Lou fights, some women and children were murdered, but most were killed only in crossfire. This killing is very difficult and must be treats different because all the 12 people who die in that revenge were in one family, and has nothing to do with the killing of two innocent Nasirians. Those killers or criminals from Nasir may have Anuak ancestors, because this is the only tribe known in South Sudan to kill women and children without mercy. In Nuer culture if a man is killed, he should be revenge by killing another man like him. A man who kills women and children to revenge another man is consider a coward and cannot be count as a real man. Women and children in Nuer culture are always treated innocent even in very dangerous situations. This is because a woman or a child cannot harm anyone in any way.

On top of that, a woman in Nuer culture is a peace messenger in case if a problem is prevailing in the society. A person to be send to other side to coordinate the peace is always a woman. There for, if it happens today that those criminals from Nasir have killed these women and children, the Nasir and Lou Nuer people need to look at this issue very seriously. Both Gajiok and Lou Nuer societies should know that they bring something unacceptable into Nuer culture, and that activity must stop immediately.

The fight between our societies has ended, and those remaining killers must be treats as criminals for the rest of us to live free from any danger. Gajiok and Lou must also stop the generalization word of “Lou” or Gajiok”. This is what always kills innocent people. We all know that clans exist within each sections of Nuer; there for, whichever clan that has criminals to carry the killing in another Nuer sections must be isolated in the society. This way, other Nuer clans within that section who have nothing to do with the problem will have chance to conduct their personal businesses without fear from Lou or Gajiok.

The killing of those women and children in Akobo should not be count toward all Gajiok, because there are apparently some Gajiok who cannot carry such ridiculous action. Lou especially the relative of those dead children and women must act professionally and should only asked the Nasir authority to identify those criminals and apprehends them in justice way. They will as well help in convincing their relatives not to take revenge again to kill innocent Nasir children and women. They must know that revenge after the killing has no end and that should not be the way of living in Nuer society.

As an acquaintance to majority of Nasir people and a relative to those innocent dead women and children, I am asking the Nasir intellectuals especially the relatives of those who carried the killing of women and children to help identify their criminal brothers to the Nasir authority. This is not to betray our love ones, but to help safeguard our society and, it is the only way to bring the latest peace between our Nasir and Lou Nuer societies. I believe our words are very important and strong for our family and authority to listen. I also think that Gajiok and Lou Nuer problem will be solve only by us. We know that many peace negotiations were signed by local society leaders and our army officials, but the killing has never been stopped. There for, the only way I think to bring such a chronic situation to an end is for honest relatives to help identifying their criminal brothers in the society for authority to sentence them in a way that will scary other idle killers.

Finally, as an intellectual and a holder of Criminal Justice Degree, I support only what the law can do than the action my family can take in this situation. What I learned in my criminal justice study is that, the law has to judge someone individually. This is one of the best ways I believe can help our society to reduce crimes. I surely know our people are very scary with authority; if we start identifying criminals and give them to the government and avoid backing our relatives by saying (E Raan da) our problems in the society will be minimal. I am asking the Nasirian degree holders to add their idea to mind and see if this piece of words can help relieve the tension between the two major Nuer Sections.

Submitted by:
Kueth Yul Dieu

The author can be reached at kuethyul@gmail.com

Yuldit,

Well-written article! This year really is working against Lou Nuer community, while other communities are enjoying fruit of the so called Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in 2005.
I believe this article will touch the spirit of many other Nuer intellectuals as a way to approach their perspective communities to advocate for peace.

Sincerely,

Peter Wiyual Dak

Yes GatDak

When I read this article, it was so amazing because the article tells a reality. I do apprecate the writer of the article.

thank
Ker Biel

Thank you very much Peter and Ker. I do really appreciate both of your words. Yes peter, this year is really against our community, but all we need to do is to pray harder and harder for devil temtation to cease out from our community.

Yrs.
Yuldit