The Anyuak community of Greater Pibor Administrative Area’s (GPAA) Pochalla South County has called for grassroots dialogue to foster peaceful coexistence in the border area of Raat amidst territorial disputes among local communities there.
King Gilo Okwanga of Anyuak’s Gooc Royal Dynasty told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that the gold-rich Raat is not being developed and that local communities are not getting basic services due to security.
He urged dialogue, saying a peaceful GPAA will promote development.
“A territorial dispute involving the Ngallam Murle of Jebel Boma and Anyuak of Awetaballa/Raat Payam has rendered the area insecure for the local communities, including the Anyuak and Murle,” he said. “The problem is that the chief administrator is involved in land grabbing because a gold company linked to him is operating in the area without providing basic services, while the water gets polluted.”
“When I reached out to the chief administrator a few months ago, we did not resolve any tensions but ended up quarrelling, leaving our communities suffering with no clean water or health services,” King Gilo added.
He urged the GPAA or the national government to engage local communities in dialogue.
“What is concerning now is that our chief administrator recently called for the deployment of 500 police personnel to Raat during his meeting last week with the police leadership in Juba,” the king said. “Our appeal is that the composition of those to be deployed should not be from the chief administrator’s ethnic group alone.”
Okammi Omot, a local youth leader, also reiterated the call for dialogue to avoid any escalation.
“The chief administrator is seen with suspicion, so his calling for the deployment of police is a cause of alarm,” he stated. “However, if the deployment of the police is necessary and it is from the national government, then those to be deployed and trained should include all South Sudanese.”
However, GPAA information minister Jacob Werchum Jouk said there were no security concerns in the area and reiterated the government’s readiness to embrace peaceful coexistence.
“The entire GPAA is peaceful, and there is no cause for alarm. There is no such tension between an Anyuak king and chief administrator,” he said. “If Anyuak want peaceful coexistence, they should do that without causing alarm.”
“As for peace dialogue, the GPAA government will not refuse to dialogue, but no communication has reached us for dialogue, and all communications should come through the right channels.”
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