A large number of Lou Nuer youth who were moving from parts of Jonglei State to wage an attack on the Greater Pibor Area – a native area of the Murle people – have withdrawn to the Nuer territory, local leaders said.
Last month, the Pibor authorities warned that local youth in parts of Jonglei State were mobilizing to attack their areas. Cattle raids, child abductions and reprisal killings are a common occurrence in Jonglei and Greater Pibor Area.
Reath Tut Duany, head of the Lou Nuer youth, told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that the Lou Nuer youth had been asked not to advance towards the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
“Over the past three weeks, we have been moving to Pibor pursuing our raided cattle. We were 22,000 youth, “Reath said. “Before we could cross to Jebel Lak, we were convinced that our grievances will be addressed peacefully.”
The youth leader, however, warned that they would reorganize to attack Pibor if their demands are not met. “If cattle raids are not stopped, if our children and women are not returned, we will mobilize the youth again to go to Pibor,” he warned.
Lt. Col. Gatbel Machar, the Uror county police inspector, said: “We managed to convince the youth. My message to our Pibor counterpart is that they should be calm.”
For his part, Tang Chatim, the Uror County commissioner says he is engaging his Pibor counterparts to help recover the abducted children.
“The committee headed by the county executive director managed to convince the youth at Nanaam borders to retreat. I am engaging Pibor authorities to meet the demands made by the Lou Nuer youth so that our peace remains intact,” he said.
In March 2020, a community-led goodwill agreement between the Lou Nuer, Murle and Dinka Bor ethnic communities was reached at a peace conference held in Pieri Payam of Uror County.
The meeting was attended by traditional leaders, women, youth and cattle camp leaders, and discussed compensation for lives lost and the return of abducted women and children.