The governor of Lakes State, General Rin Tueny Mabor, while meeting the Rumbek Central County community last Thursday declared the commencement of the registration of illegal firearms and a voluntary disarmament exercise in the state.
The acting state information minister, William Koji Kirjok, told Radio Tamazuj over the weekend that the registration of firearms has already started and that the peaceful and voluntary disarmament exercise will last for three months till 4 February 2022.
“We do not mind about the source where these civilians bought guns but what we want is to disarm them and keep the guns,” Minister Koji explained. “Since former governor, Makur Kulang initiated the peaceful and voluntary disarmament exercise in Lakes State last year, there was no firearms proliferation. All the firearms which were removed from the hands of civilians are kept in the government store facility in Rumbek.”
He said Governor Tueny has directed all the chiefs and gelwong (home guard) leaders to register firearms in the hands of civilians and surrender them peacefully to the government before the approaching season of cattle migration to (Toich-manyiel) wetlands.
“The governor has told the community chiefs and gelwong leaders that the cattle migration to the wetlands during the next season will be regulated by the governor, under his directives and no one will be allowed to migrate with cattle to wetlands with firearms,” Minister Koji added.
He further revealed that government armed forces will be stationed by the governor in the wetlands before the communities migrate there with their cattle during the coming dry season.
The executive chief in Rumbek Central County, Mawat Mangar, confirmed that the chiefs and gelwong leaders of Rumbek Central County were in attendance during the meeting with Governor Tueny last Thursday to discuss the arms registration and peaceful disarmament of all civilians in Lakes State.
The paramount chief of Yirol East County, Andrew Madut Buoi, who has been assigned to the special court in Rumbek Central County, said the governor directed all the chiefs to collect all illegal firearms from the civilians and hand them to the government.
“The governor has given us orders to collect the illegal firearms and it has already started in Lakes State since yesterday (Friday),” Chief Madut said. “We have heard the orders of collecting the firearms from the hands of civilians but registration of firearms has started in counties. We agreed because we want arms to be collected from civilians and returned to the government stores.”
He revealed that the governor ordered all the chiefs to migrate with the cattle to wetlands for grazing and everyone will go to their respective cattle camps during the cattle migration and no one will migrate to another person’s cattle camp again.