MP accuses military of harassing returnees in Magwi County

A lawmaker has accused the head of Tiger Division of threatening to force back refugees in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State, and harassing civilians who voluntarily returned to start a living.

The area Member of Parliament made the allegations on the floor of the House on Monday.

According to Lemin Eric, the head of the tiger battalion swore not to let community members return to their village after they deserted the area over seven years ago when conflict broke out in 2016, driving some communities to seek safety in Uganda.

“On 30th of November was the time when the returnees realised why all this time they had been tortured by the soldiers,” said Eric.

He claimed the military labelled the two communities in Magwi County as supporters of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), which he still refers to as a rebel group.

“He promised that he would never allow these two communities to return to their places of origin as long as he lives,’’ the MP said.

“There were boards distributed by SPEDUP for people in Mugali who are fishing in the Achwa River and people in Opari who are fishing in Atapi-river. So, he even threatened that these boards have to be confiscated and taken to the barracks because these people are using the boards to transport rebels,” he added.

According to the lawmaker, the commander even thwarted the government of Eastern Equatoria State’s intention for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to construct a temporary base in the area to encourage the safe return of refugees.

He said the commander also threatened to shoot the commissioner of Magwi County, who was sent to the area on November 30 by the Governor of Eastern Equatoria State, Louis Lobong Lojore, on a UN mission to set up a temporary camp in Pageri.

“Unfortunately, the head of the tiger battalion in Achwa, together with the commander in Jelei, came in three vehicles and threatened to shoot the commissioner,” the lawmaker revealed to the Parliament.

He claimed that despite the president’s request for community members to return home, the majority of returnees went back to camps due to ongoing harassment by the military in the area.

Eric further reported that on September 20, local teenagers who rallied to clean one of Loa’s primary schools in preparation for restoration were apprehended by forces from the Tiger Division based in Achwa.

“Unfortunately, tiger battalions stationed at Achwa Bridge came and took all eight boys who had begun cleaning the school compound, then proceeded to Loa Centre and looted all of the belongings donated by UNHCR to the returnees,” he claimed.

“Mr Miolinga informed the parliament on 25th and on date 27, we went to Loa and we found some of the returnees had gone back to exile,” Eric told the August house.

Eric also reported that while travelling to Nimule to report the death of a man who was attacked by an elephant to the wildlife office after they discovered the body in September, the chief of Loa Boma Taban Juma, along with three other men, were arrested by police officers deployed to patrol the road in Jelei.

“They were beaten badly. The two guys were released, but as I speak now, one is still missing,” Eric said.

 Most of Magwi County’s villages have been left by inhabitants who have sought refuge outside the country since 2014, particularly in Parijok, Iwire Payam, Pageri, and Kerepi, among many other regions in Magwi County.