Death tolls from Baidit attack shoot to 76 as blame game plays
The Jonglei State Police Commissioner, Maj. Gen. Joseph Mayen Akoon, has disclosed that the death toll from the attack in Baidit has risen to 76. At the time of the attack, 63 died, over 24 were wounded, and 2,600 herds of cattle were raided.
The police commissioner said the people killed in Baidit were 33, but that 30 of the attackers also died. Two bodies were identified to be from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) as they were lying within the Baidit and the rest were in the bush.
“The situation is normal except for the recent incidences; the one in Baidit and the one between Gadiang and Uror in which we have lost 7 people plus 7 wounded. And yesterday (Saturday), one of the trucks was attacked, in which five people were also killed. There were no [people] wounded. I received a message this afternoon (Sunday) about somebody who had been killed around Pajut and Panyang,” Mayen said.
“I don’t know about the side of the Murle, but what I heard recently is that they are denying the incident of Baidit, in which 33 people were killed. They are saying they are not the ones who committed that crime. But about 30 people were killed by them. The two dead bodies were identified as people from Pibor because they were lying in Baidit during the incident.”
Mayen warned that continued attacks would aggravate the situation and sabotage prospects for peace between Jonglei State and GPAA. He added that GPAA was part of Jonglei State and thus the state authorities had a dream that peace would prevail one day.
“Our problem began in 2019-2020 when the youth of the nine counties became annoyed because of the activities of our brothers from Pibor. All the youth in the state went to Pibor, which was a disaster. When they came back in 2020, it was really bad and the authorities in these counties were not thinking that this thing would repeat itself,” Mayen said.
“The government of Jonglei State is trying its best to convince the youth. Recently, the youth of some counties were trying to go to GPAA, but the commissioners were told to convince them not to go.”
He said the problem was that the youth from Jonglei and GPAA were all armed and it was the reason why attacks were perpetuated. He emphasised that disarmament, such as that carried out in Lakes State, would be the correct decision.
“Both sides are all armed. The youth are well-armed. We wish that what happened in Lakes State should happen here to disarm all the youth from all the communities,” the Jonglei State Police Commissioner concluded.
The chairman of the Jonglei Civil Society Network and the Executive Director of Intrepid South Sudan, Bol Deng Bol, urged the government of Jonglei State to approach the government of GPAA to control their youth.
Denial
After the attacks, Jonglei State youth accused GPAA youth of the attacks, but the GPAA youth denied that they did not carry out the Baidit attacks.
The Secretary-General for External Affairs of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area Youth Union, David Ngiro Yangkon, condemned the fingers pointed at them for the attacks.
“With great concern, we have learned and seen a lot of accusation statements issued by several stakeholders accusing Murle youth of attacking Baidit Payam, Bor County, Jonglei State on January 23, 2022, in which they claim that 34 people were killed in the incident,” he said.
Yangkon claimed the attacks were repercussions of the conflict between the defrocked Archbishop Reuben Akurdid Ngong and the ECSS-backed Archbishop Moses Anur Ayom.
“We are here to condemn this false allegation levelled against Murle youth in the strongest terms possible. The attackers are believed to be the supporters of the two bishops who are fighting over ECSS leadership in Bor, Jonglei State, not the Murle youth who attacked them,” the statement read in part.
Attacks accepted
On Thursday last week, the deputy chief administrator of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), John Joseph Abulla, revealed to the City Review that they would investigate the crimes committed by what he called “suspected criminals from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.”
“Actually, what happened in Baidit was very unfortunate, and it is not acceptable. On behalf of Greater Pibor and on behalf of my chief, I condemn the attacks, and we also register our deep condolences to the families who lost their loved ones, and we will stand with them,” Abulla said.
“We will remain very vigilant to investigate and trace out those who committed the atrocities in Baidit so that they will be accountable for what they did. We are committed to cooperating and finding a lasting solution to the problem. Because we cannot just continue seeing our young men, children, and women dying without reason, ” he added.
Abulla said they had formed a committee in Gumuruk to monitor the border and track down those involved, adding that the government of GPAA would go to the grassroots in a bid to apprehend the suspected criminals.
“On Monday, when we received the official call from the acting governor, I sent a team from Greater Gumuruk to join the commissioner so that they would be able to monitor the border. Whoever is found with cattle, or involved in the attack will be apprehended and brought to book.”
Steps to investigate
On Wednesday last week, the Minister of Interior, Mahmoud Solomon Agok, and the Inspector General of Police, Majak Akech Malok, briefed President Salva Kiir Mayardit on their assessment of the security situation in Jonglei State following the Baidit attacks.
The interior minister said they had assured the citizens of the government’s endeavour to contain the situation after the killings in Baidit as well as the church crisis.
