Affrontements à Juba après les élections – mai 2010

Fresh clashes occur in Jonglei’s Pibor County between SPLA and youth

allvoices.com

Tuesday 25 May 2010

May 24, 2010 (JUBA) – Fresh and separate clashes have been reported in Pibor County of Jonglei state between forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and civilian youth supporting a defeated candidate in the recent local elections.

The clashes started on Friday between the Southern Sudan army and supporters of David Yauyau, a parliamentary candidate who contested on the ticket of the United Democratic Front (UDF) party.

His supporters rejected the declared results that saw Yauyau losing, arguing that the results were rigged and that their candidate should have been the winner.

The youth then moved out of Pibor town and converged in a place called Lokurnyang across the river of Pibor and about one kilometer away from the town. The move prompted the SPLA forces in the area to attack them in that location, according to the source. Unconfirmed numbers of people were reportedly killed, though the initial figure was put to three dead.

Mary Boyoi, a famous South Sudanese musician and member of the Pibor County-based Murle community, told the Sudan Tribune on phone from Nairobi, Kenya, that the mother and brother of the accused candidate, David Yauyau, were also arrested.

Boyoi also contested in the elections as an independent candidate for parliamentary seat in Juba and lost to the sister of the SPLM Secretary General, Pagan Amum Okiech, who is the widow of late Nyachigak Nyachiluk, from Murle community.

She expressed her dismay over the arrest of the two innocent family members of the accused, saying they had nothing to do with whatever was done by the accused defeated candidate.

Jonglei state has been hit by upsurge of violence following the declaration of elections results. A renegade army general, George Athor Deng, has also rejected the results that favor his rival, the incumbent governor Kuol Manyang Juuk and has since then been battling with the army in the state.

Athor was the SPLA Deputy Chief of General Staff for Moral and Political Orientation before he decided to quit the army and contested for the state gubernatorial elections.

The South Sudanese musician, Mary Boyoi, also expressed her concern that the recent violence in her home area may spread unless a peaceful solution was quickly found to end the standoff with the youth in Pibor.