Mayor says Bor mass graves finally covered
Local authorities of Bor town in South Sudan’s Jonglei State announced the burial of dead bodies in four mass graves. The burial had been delayed for weeks while hundreds of bodies were left on display at readied mass graves.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, Bor Mayor Nhial Majak Nhial said they have completed burial of the people killed in mass graves on Sunday, while adding the search is still continuing for unburied remains elsewhere.
The number of those buried was not made clear; as of mid-February there were not more than 300 unburied bodies in the town.
“Although we have buried the dead bodies, the municipality and the concerned institutions are still collecting dead bodies in the bushes and residential areas,” said Nhial.
“I cannot confirm the number of the dead buried in the four mass graves because the figures differ from one grave to another,” he explained.
The Bor area witnessed deadly clashes between opposition fighters under the command of James Gadet and government loyalists with allied Ugandan soldiers starting in mid-December and continuing into January.
In another development, Bor municipality issued a decision banning consumption of alcohol, on the basis of security concerns.
Nhial said the decision was taken to stop random gunshots by drunken soldiers so as to maintain order in the delicate security situation in Bor town. He said they also banned the importation of alcohol to the town.
Photo: A mass grave in Bor, Jonglei, 10 February 2014 (Radio Tamazuj)
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