Cattle keepers’ attack in Magwi should have been avoided
Last week, the governor of Eastern Equatoria State, Louis Lobong, said it was up to the community in Magwi County to decide the fate of the cattle keepers in the area.
Lobong left the ball on the coat of the host community, who are predominantly farmers, to decide whether to allow the herders to graze in the area or leave.
He made the statement during his visit to the area.
“We have scheduled a meeting between them and the community here to discuss and decide whether the community should allow them to graze for this time or not.
“Now [it] depends on the community; if the community says they should go, we will ask them to leave, but if they agree with the community to graze for some time in a specific area, we have no objection as a government,” Lobong stressed.
This statement does not give the farming community completely hope because the area has been experiencing an influx of cattle keepers since the beginning of this month.
The influx of animals has already created fear among members of the host communities. This was the reason why the governor visited the area to find a lasting solution.
The statement that the community should decide whether the herders should leave or not does not make any sense because the community has already expressed their displeasure with the presence of the cattle keepers. This does not need any further discussion because it is the primary responsibility of the state government to provide security to its citizens.
The failure of the state government to provide urgent solutions to the crisis in Magwi has now led to the displacement of over 20,000 people from Agoro-Chomboro Village to Magwi Town. The cattle keepers launched an attack on the area on Wednesday evening.
Despite several warnings of inevitable clashes between the farmers and pastoralists by the area members of parliament, as well as civil society, these warnings were not taken seriously by the authorities and the area members of parliament.
The authorities should have acted urgently by averting the situation from getting worse or even completely stopping Wednesday’s cattle keepers’ attack in the area. The failure of our leaders to act on an imminent disaster has always landed our citizens in deplorable situations that should have been avoided. However, it is not too late for the authorities to address the issue of cattle keepers in Agoro-Chomboro who have not taken full control of the village after chasing the indigenous people from their homes. This is not only a security threat in Magwi but also the whole area of Aru Junction that lies along the Juba-Nimule Road.
