The United Nations Mission in South Sudan and human rights defenders in Jonglei have appealed to the state and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area to end all forms of human rights violations in the region.
The two entities made the appeals in Bor on Thursday during the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Human Rights Day under the theme: “Freedom, Equality and Justice for all.”
The intercommunal hostilities in parts of Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area have claimed numerous lives, injured countless more and have seen the raiding of thousands of cattle, not to mention widespread destruction of property, according to reports.
The head of UNMISS Bor and Pibor field office, Geetha Pious, says greater Jonglei has experienced gross human rights violations since the beginning of this year.
“Child and women abduction is rampant in greater Jonglei; and killing of innocent lives is not stopping and the government from both sides are not doing anything to end this by not arresting the perpetrators,” Pious stated.
“I am calling up you to be remained by the commemoration of this day to makes sure that human rights are respected and promoted at all cost.’’
For his part, the chairperson of Jonglei Civil Society Network appealed to the national government to speed up the deployment of unified forces to help provide protection to the people there.
“The insecurity in the region is cause by lack of proper protection,” Bol Deng Bol argued. “And to end or reduce it, there is a need for the deployment of security forces.”
Meanwhile, the acting governor of Jonglei State admitted that insecurity in greater Jonglei is difficult to be deal with.
“We have conducted so many peace dialogue among ourselves with Pibor but nothing changed,” John Samuel Manyuon said at the event.
Despite several peace dialogues in which the community representatives agreed to prevent the youth from violent conflict, people continue to lose lives on both sides.
Researchers argue that the conflict is worsened by the presence of firearms in the hands of civilians.
In October, a two-day peace conference between Dinka Bor of Jonglei and Murle of Pibor concluded, with a recommitment to a forceful disarmament of youth.