An armed young man respond to an attack in Pibor Administrative Area in June 2020 | Credit | Courtesy

The governor of Jonglei State has blamed politicians in Juba for being behind the continuous inter-communal violence in the Greater Jonglei area.

There have been many conferences and agreements over communal conflicts but none has resolved the conflict in the greater Jonglei area, Denay Chagor said at the opening ceremony of the Jonglei-Pibor peace conference on Monday.

In 2017, President Salva Kiir formed a committee headed up by the then First Vice President, Taban Deng, to investigate conflicts and killings of civilians around Jonglei, Terekeka, and the defunct Buma state.

But the conference held in Juba failed to yield fruits as inter-communal violence continued to be reported.

Just yesterday as the peace conference went on in Juba, two people were allegedly killed in a cattle raiding incident in Bor County.

Now the Jonglei State Governor, Denay Chagor says “The problem is, us here in Juba” are to blame for inciting their local communities to perpetrate violence against their neighbors.

“The people were hopeful that there would be development – roads, good living – but what all they see now is more suffering, more killings across the country,” Chagor stated.

The conference was organized by a committee headed by Vice President Dr. James Wani Igga.

President Salva Kiir tasked the vice president in July 2020 to conduct meetings with elders from Jonglei and Pibor after fighting in counties of Jonglei and the Pibor Administrative Area resulted in the death of hundreds of civilians.

The committee is directed to identify the root causes of inter-communal violence and organize a peace conference between communities in the areas affected.

But the governor says the ongoing discussions in Juba may not solve the root causes of the conflict.

“If we sit here and nothing is done – no hospitals, schools and no roads built, they [villagers] will continue killing each other,” he added.

The two-day conference that started yesterday is expected to end today with resolutions to end deadly clashes in the Greater Jonglei Area.

Representatives from the Anyuak, Dinka, Jie, Kachipo, Murle, and Nuer are participating in the conference at Freedom Hall in Juba.