Fears are growing of imminent clashes in greater Jonglei State between the Murle and Dinka Bor tribes after attempts to make peace between the two feuding communities failed.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, Simon Gain, Pibor County Commissioner of Boma State, accused local youth from the Dinka Bor tribe of attacking citizens from his state along the Juba-Pibor road recently.

He also accused the Dinka Bor youth of rejecting any peace with local youth from the Murle tribe. He pointed out that there is no any need now to hold a peace conference between the two sides in neighbouring Terekeka State.

Simon called on the two sides to stop fighting and support local and national peace in South Sudan. “There is need for peace in South Sudan, we should talk instead of threatening to kill people, even development will not be there if we fight each other,” he said.  

For his part, Ayuel Guet, representative of the Dinka Bor youth, said that a large group of Dinka Bor youth have already reached areas near the Jonglei-Boma borders.

Instead, Ayuel accused the Murle youth of killing several people in Baidit, Kongoor and Jonglei villages during a cattle raid over the past two days.

The youth leader warned against renewed fighting between the two tribes in the coming days if their stolen cattle and abducted children are not returned back.

He appealed to the United Nations mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), national government in Juba and the two governments of Boma and Jonglei states to intervene.

“We didn’t reject any peace, the agreement was between the Jonglei and Boma governments, so if the there is need for peace, they should return back our children who were abducted and our stolen cattle. The children and the cattle should be taken to the border so that the youth between the two sides can sign a peace deal,”said Ayuel.   

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