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Sudan Tribune

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Malakal police kill two people after Dinka-Shilluk quarrel

By Ngor Arol Garang

January 9, 2008 (MALAKAL) – Two people were killed by the local police during the celebration of the fourth anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in a bid to diffuse tension between the Shilluk and Dinka tribes over the ownership of the town.

cpa_celebration20090109.jpgHowever, the incident, which occurred at the stadium where the government officials attended the celebration, did not stop the festivities but left a stain on the state government for being aware of the existing rivalry between the two tribes without providing adequate security prior to commencement of the celebration.

Speaking from the stadium, Peter Ojwal, a member of the organizing and reception team, said the death of the two people amid the joys of celebration is regrettable. He further added “I called upon brothers and sisters from both sides to immediately come together to resolve the existing differences.”

“The issue of town ownership needs not to involve killing. History and elders are there to correct and convince any claiming group. Why fight to be killed in the cross fire innocently like this?” he lamented.

However, Upper Nile police were blamed for having awkwardly used fatal gunfire to disperse the crowd. The gun is not the first thing a police officer should use to disperse the crowd but should be a resort in case of violence.

John Chuol Biel, a student from Upper Nile University called for immediate solution to the root cause of the tension between the two communities and urged the state government to prioritize police training in crowd control and conflict handling. “It is part and parcel of the police training to be adequately taught different ways to deal with crowds and their conflict management,” he said.

The SPLM Secretary General in Upper Nile, John Kur, who is also a Dinka, called for calm and deployment of the security forces in the town. He disapproved the firing on the civilians adding “There is no reason for fighting each other.”

But he declined to comment on the causes of the tension. He stressed that Upper Nile belongs to all the citizens of the state. “Let’s develop sense of togetherness and oneness for better relations, development and peaceful coexistence wherever one lives,” he concluded.

The issue of land ownership was publicly disputed by some Dinka groups for the first time during the first trimester of 2008. They threatened to wage war against Shilluk if the Juba-based regional government did not satisfy their demand.

The Shilluk are the third largest tribal group in South Sudan after the Dinka and their neighbors the Nuer.

(ST)

36 Comments

  • Emo Tongun
    Emo Tongun

    Malakal police kill two people after Dinka-Shilluk quarrel
    To Dinkaweed,

    They killed 6 young boys in Equatoria, Shoot residential ares in 1/1/09. Now they wanted to takeover Malakal from Shiluk that is really strange: Now let everybody judge the behaviour of Dinkaweed. Will they really wiil able to peacefully coexists with other tribe???. i think it is impossible. If Equatorians not Push them early out, they will pull Equatorians down to act barbarical like they are.

    Anybody just look to the Dinkaweed: were is the education they are claiming they study???. Nothing, Cows minded, trible trible trible, we conclude that dinkas must revised their mentality! its not good, nor civilized. Now they have to admit that Dinkas are trouble tribe, just because they have Infriority complex, Greedyness, hypocrits, cowardness, moneyminded, thieves of Cows, selling, stealing children of nighbors.That is why they cannot leave in quite and Peace with any other tribe.

    But, why they don’t steal kids while they are in USA,or UK< or AUStralia or Europe so that they will be tought by Eropeans how to behave wisely than to behave like a true cow-headed. See no friendship with Shiluk. NO friendship with Nuer. No friendship Fertit. No friendship with Murle. Now they create another problems with Equatorians. Land- grabbing, and we all know they murdered these 6 Equatorians because they Echos-out they danger Dinkas are planning for. Equatorians must know that Living together with thugs, barbaric cowards will, they will forced us to behave barbaric too, if we have to settle issues. because if they kill a person from your tribe the only language they can understand is you have to kill a person too from their tribe. if you don't do that, they call you as a cawardic. a tit for tat: is the is the way of life of Dinkaweed. Because if you are crying for justice from GOSS, they will lough at you; by saying, look to this coward; you will cry, cry, cry, cry until you will stop crying. So, Living with Dinka in one place is nothing but just killing will continue forever from bothsides. Struggle continues. DDDTODR

    Reply
  • Gatwech
    Gatwech

    Malakal police kill two people after Dinka-Shilluk quarrel
    DEAR READERS,

    WHAT THE CITIZENS OF UPPER NILE IN GENERAL KNOW IS THAT MALAKAL, OR MAKAL IN SHILLUK LANGUAGE BELONGS TO NATIVE SHILLUK COMMUNITY AS JUBA BELONGS TO BARI COMMUNITY.BUT IT HAS BEEN THE WHOLE OF UPPER NILE REGIONAL GOVERNMENT AND NOW THE STATE CAPITAL.

    THE NUER AND THE SHILLUK FOUGHT OVER THIS ISSUE IN 1970s WHICH WAS SETTLED AFTER THE SHILLUK ACCEPTED EVERY BODY IN MALAKAL.

    THE SO-CALLED DINKA MINORITY IN UPPER NILE CAN NEVER HAVE ANY REASON TO CLAIM TRADITIONAL OWNERSHIP OF “MAKAL” WHICH A SHILLUK NAME. THEY BETTER LIVE AS NORMAL CITIZEN OTHERWISE, THE NUER CAN INTERVENE IN FAVOUR OF SHILLUK AND REMOVE THESE THUGS TO BAHR EL GHAZAL!!!!

    Reply
  • Gatwech
    Gatwech

    Malakal police kill two people after Dinka-Shilluk quarrel
    To: Mr. Zachariah Manyok Biar,

    I have at last caught you red-handed! I knew you would identify yourself by mistake. Your biased article on your unpopular so-called ‘newsudanvision’ website, which you backed with primitive insults against the respected Vice President, is a testimony. This man is above many, both dead and alive, including you and your mentors.

    Good enough that you have posted as the rest of your paragraphs a comment posted last year under disguise name by yourself on the same Sudantribune.com that you now hypocritically try to advice its contributors against the same hate speech you wrote yourself. Hypocrat!

    Your article, under the title “South Sudanese ought to be careful about engaging in hate speech” on newsudanvision website is nothing but an emotional outburst as you failed in your primitive contributions of insults on Sudantribune.com.

    Living in Texas, USA, you think it is the right place from which you can launch your primitive insults against respected leaders on that unpopular website of yours. Barking from a far will not solve your problems or give you the true picture as you may not appreciate what is going on here on the ground.

    I live in Malakal and know more than you do because I see with my own eyes and hear with my own ears. I also travel to many places in the South and may sometimes stay in Juba. What I commend on is what I can personally confirm, not gossiping like yours.

    In your typical biased and unfair tribal judgement, which is not surprising anyway, you concentrated on me (Gatwech) as a bad contributor on Sudantribune.com, leaving your Bor Dinka fellows including yourself to preach tribalism and vomit out insults at will. If this is the way the so-called ‘newsudanvision’ website is manned by such persons like you, then I would declare your website as rubbish administered by reactionaries. You cannot be taken serious, Mr. Isaiah Manyok, but good enough that your try identity as a Texas refugee is now known.

    Reply
  • Nuer
    Nuer

    Malakal police kill two people after Dinka-Shilluk quarrel
    Dinka are becoming the minority as the tribe of southern Sudan side together against the Dinka. Where will they run this time after their masterminder John Garang is dead? Hahaha!!! we’ll see.

    Reply
  • Dauson Gieth
    Dauson Gieth

    Malakal police kill two people after Dinka-Shilluk quarrel
    Its just one of the few days that we have seen a dark cloud between these two communities. May the those whose souls have passed rest in peace.

    Its just unfortunate that those in authority take too long to act. There had brewed a tension between Shilluk and the Uper Nile Dinka as several petitions and provocative letters were exchanged a few years back.The government should address the causes of this conflict and fast. I don’t remember any time that the two communities that enjoyed a historical peace as testified by intermarriages ever fought and to this scale. Something that needs the attention of anyone in authority

    Whatever the causes,violence and can’t be and will never be a solution. None of the tribe is stronger then other. They are the same people. There just a few politicians who want to use their political positions to mobilize their communities against others. Its not the right way of showing political capacity/strength. Let people get to talk.

    Its not surprising that some people have taken the whole incident to be a tribal campaign. Just note: Its the Shilluk v Dinka of Upernile (Unacceptable of course), not the whole Dinka tribe. Generalizing it would not help understand and solve the problem and also erases historical friendship the two communities had had. It doesn’t make any tribe a bad one coz problems happen and get solved.

    Those who jumped into conclusion are not helping any party. I wonder if some can go so dip in tribalism like bro. Gatwec who is suggesting/foreseeing impossibilities. We are all South Sudanese. We have lived enough in Sudan to know ourselves. We have all fought for this Country. No one tribe is Mighty above others. The difference is in Numbers. If any tribe is a majority, it doesn’t mean they are stronger and any one who is a majority in the Country, State, County or Payam should use their numerical advantage to everone’s advantage not destruction. We all know where we came from and where we are going.The history of liberation shows exactly our sacrifices for this land and we did that together.

    I am writing as a Ngok Dinka whose community is involved in these clashes.I call upon all my brothers from Jieng and Chollo to stop what they are doing.If you reflect back to history and judge where we all got to be where we are, we will live to regret our current actions. Our historical ties go beyond Malakal being owned by Jieng or Chollo (Its everyone’s capital now)and we all will not be able to justify why we are killing each other

    Lets see beyond politicians who want to misuse their powers by advocating for killing instead of peace. They will and will never use constitutional powers vested in them to exterminate either community. Lets get to talk

    Reply
  • Bernard Ucin
    Bernard Ucin

    Malakal police kill two people after Dinka-Shilluk quarrel
    hey every body, I am a new contributer to the site, what I want to commant about is the quarrel of Malakal incident. as one of south sudan person, its really instracted me to say that It doesn’t make any sense if people of one ethanic group in south sudan can’t get along with each others just because of who come first or who come next, this not good, we as southerners should be open minded about those stuffs that would make CPA nothings at not for the future generation to come !!!! I will continue

    Reply
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