Disarmament of the Lou Nuer
| Disarmament of the Lou Nuer | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
|
 Lou Nuer | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Peter Bol Kong George Athor[1] |
 Simon Wojong | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,000-9,000 | 6,000-20,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 400-700 | 1,200 | ||||||
| 213 civilians killed | |||||||
The
Southern Sudan in December 2005. While other groups had been peacefully disarmed, the Lou section of the Nuer in Northern Jonglei State refused to comply. The SPLA organized a force under Peter Bol Kong to forcibly disarm the Lou Nuer, whose White Army resisted until a defeat in the battle of Motot
, after which they fled the area.
Background
While the
SPLA assigned Gen. Peter Bol Kong
, a Lou Nuer with an ethnically mixed force, to disarm the Lou Nuer.
In December, the
SPLA or turn their weapons in, or else they would be forcibly disarmed. The Jonglei governor also promised compensation for the weapons, but it was unclear were the funding would come from or who it would go to. The meetings were long, and the mediators consumed approximately 1,300 of the Lou Nuer's cattle.[3] The Lou Nuer refused to disarm, saying they needed their weapons for protection from the Murle, who had not been disarmed. Skirmishes began between the Lou Nuer and the SPLA.[2]
The Disarmament Campaign
At the end of January 2006, the
Simon Gatwitch under his deputy Simon Wojong.[6] A conference was held from February 27 to March 7 in Yuai with the White Army and leading figures of the Government of Southern Sudan in another attempt to get the Lou Nuer to peacefully disarm.[3] Riek Machar, regarded as the founder of the White Army, announced its dissolution, but the youth were determined to keep their arms.[5]
From April to May there were frequent sightings of a helicopter arriving at Simon Wojong's camp near
Simon Gatwitch
claimed to have ordered his forces north as well to avoid conflict with the SPLA, and they reached Dolip Hill. The military campaign was over.
Aftermath
On May 20
SPLA. The Akobo disarmament was successful and turned out 1,400 weapons.[2]
About 400
SPLA soldiers and 1,200 White Army fighters died in the disarmament of the Lou Nuer.[3][6] The SPLA burned the huts of White Army members, so about 1,000 huts were burned.[4] The violence made it so the locals could not plant and the SPLA was not supplied with food so it had to live off the locals' animals, creating serious food shortages after the conflict.[3]
The White Army was defeated, but it would later be reformed and again challenge the SPLA.
Meanwhile, SPLA commander George Athor used many of the guns confiscated from the Lou Nuer to arm his own private army, launching his own uprising in 2010.[1]
References
- ^ a b Small Arms Survey 2011, p. 2.
- ^ a b c d "Anatomy of civilian disarmament in Jonglei State: Recent experiences and implications" (PDF). November 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k ISSAfrica.org (2007-04-06). "Sudan People's Liberation Army: Disarmament in Jonglei and its implications". ISS Africa. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
- ^ a b "Fragile disarmament in South Sudan - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan". www.sudantribune.com. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
- ^ a b c Young, John (June 2007). "The White Army: An Introduction and Overview" (PDF). p. 21.
- ^ a b c d "Persistent Instability: ARMED VIOLENCE AND INSECURITY IN SOUTH SUDAN" (PDF). 2007. p. 334. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 3, 2012.
- ^ "South Sudan - Tribal Warfare 2006". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
Works cited
- "Sudan: George Athor Rebellion, Jonglei State, Updated February 2011" (PDF). Sudan Human Security Baseline Assessment. Geneva: Small Arms Survey. 21 February 2011.