South Sudan parliament summons security ministers over Jonglei crisis
* Article
* Comments (18)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
*
*
*
*
August 22, 2011 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s National Legislative Assembly
has summoned the new country’s ministers of defense and interior over
the insecurity in Jonglei state which has according to local officials
resulted in the massacre of hundreds of people in Uror county.
This week heavy armed attackers in army uniform allegedly from the
Murle community carried out what was suspected to be a revenge attack
on members of the Lou Nuer ethnic group.
The UN have confirmed that 58 people died in the fighting. A group of
officials from Jonglei told Sudan Tribune that the clashes in Uror
county had resulted in 640 deaths, 861 people sustaining injuries, the
kidnap of 208 children, the arson of 7,924 houses and the theft of
38,000 heads of cattle.
Security organs in South Sudan have since 2005, when the region gained
autonomy as part of a peace deal with North Sudan, done very little to
avert the attacks involving the communities. In July South Sudan
became independent and the former rebel movement the Sudan People’s
Liberation Army (SPLA) became the national army.
On Monday the national parliament raised a motion summoning the
minister of defense and the minister of interior to appear before the
house for questioning.
The parliament invoked article 34 (2) of the transitional constitution
which gives a minister a period of seven days within which to appear
before the house. However in this case they demanded the two ministers
appear within 24 hours.
The ministers of defense, Nhial Deng Nhial and interior, Gier Chuang
Aluong, are both caretakers in their current roles pending the
announcement of the new cabinet which could come as early as this
week, according to officials.
A member of the parliament told the Sudan Tribune that during Monday’s
deliberations members of the house recommended that a state of
emergency be declared in Jonglei state in order to effectively address
the ongoing killings in the area.
(ST)
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD
info" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected].
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
