Leaders of the Anyuak community in Jonglei State’s Akobo County have accused their Lou Nuer neighbors of attacking and ransacking Alali, a Payam in Akobo, on Friday.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj at the weekend, John Opiew Olok, the Akobo Anyuak Community leader, said the assailants are suspected to have originated from Akobo town.
“Last week, you may have heard that there was fighting between Lou Nuer and Murle youth in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area. These Lou Nuer later left Murle and they were spotted in Pochalla but they never fought Anyuaks,” he said. “However, in the last two days, another heavily armed Lou Nuer youth group left Akobo town through Tiergol to reinforce the first group fighting the Murle in our bushes. Moving along the Akobo River, they descended on Alali and looted our belongings.”
Opiew added: “Those Lou Nuer youth were heavily armed and so we urged the community to vacate the headquarters of Alali Payam for a nearby village because we were tipped off about the movement of these youth and SPLA-IO forces.”
He said that the attackers looted food items, especially grain, beddings, and electronic devices, including radio telecommunication devices, among others.
“This (Saturday) morning, they arrived in Akobo town with looted items and we have been calling the county commissioner but he could not pick up our calls,” Opiew stated.
The Anyuak Community leader urged the government to condemn the attack and apprehend those responsible, saying the attack was a violation of the 2018 peace deal and threatened coexistence between the Lou Nuer and Anyuak communities.
On his part, John Okei Okei, a lawmaker representing Akobo County in the Jonglei State Legislative Assembly, condemned the attack and demanded that an investigation be instituted, saying the situation remains dire.
“As we speak, the security and humanitarian situation in Alali is not good but no lives were lost because we urged our youth to vacate to avoid confronting these SPLA-IO forces while we are implementing a peace deal,” he said. “So, we urge Akobo and state authorities to investigate this incident so that those responsible are apprehended to avoid escalation.”
However, Akobo County Commissioner Puok Nyang Tutjiek said he was not aware of the attack and subsequent sacking of Alali town.
“I have not received this report from the Anyuak community in Alali. Alali is one of the payams in Akobo County which has been largely cut off from the rest of the county since the war erupted in 2013. So, if anything might have happened in Alali, I might not get the details of why the youth decided to go there because what I heard so far was that they went to rescue some children from Jwom in Likuangole,” he explained. “Again, the guy who went and mobilized youth and intended to recover children abducted by Murle and they were kept in Likuangole is from the SPLA-IO Kitgwang and not SPLA-IO under Riek Machar. We do not know their motive. Maybe they went to that side of Alali while it was not the place they had intended to attack. So far, no one from Anyuak called me and I am currently in Juba and I will be willing to meet them.”