Gogrial: Two children reportedly killed in Matiel attack

[Elisabeth Janaina]

Gogrial: Two children reportedly killed in Matiel attack
admin | September 6, 2017 | 12:31 pm
Gogrial town

The Commissioner of Apuk South County in Gogrial State says two
children were killed on Monday as a result of communal violence in
Matiel area.

Commissioner Santino Yel Reech said two other people were wounded in
the attack on the village.

He told Eye Radio that the attackers also burnt down close to 30 houses.

“They attacked in the morning and the situation is bad, that’s why
people are worried,” said Yel.

Last month, four chiefs were arrested for reportedly failing to
apprehend armed youth in Gogrial State.

Tonj State governor, Akech Tong Aleu, who heads the security committee
comprising of officials from Tonj, Wau and Gogrial said the unnamed
chiefs were accused of incitement.

The committee was formed e to maintain security in Tonj, Wau, and
Gogrial after the declaration of a state of emergency in those areas
by President Salva Kiir.

State of emergency is a situation of national danger or disaster in
which a government suspends normal constitutional procedures in order
to regain control.

Same month, a peace conference aimed at resolving inter-clan conflicts
in Gogrial recommended forceful disarmament of youth in the area.

The peace conference was held in Yei under the mediation of the
Evangelic Presbyterian Church.

The participants included traditional and church leaders, state
officials, and women and youth representatives.

“The community has resolved that youth carrying arms must be disarmed
forcefully, said Gogrial Governor Gregory Deng, who took part in the
conference.

The communities in the Gogrial– Apuk, Kuac, and Aguok – have been
fighting among themselves. But the conflict intensified around May
this year. The root cause of the conflict is unclear.