"Disarmament Commission Policy: What residents of Twic East County are saying?"

Overview of South Sudan Disarmements Commission Policy:

Basically it is a policy that was drafted and implemented right after signing of Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) stipulated in the six protocols to which it advocates removal of arms in the hands of civilians since war with Old Sudan was ended. I know in the United States of America, the ‘Secondamendment’ of US Constitution authorized ‘gun monopoly’with legal licensing,----‘right of people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed’(page 21, 2003 edition), directly quoted,however in the South Sudan, this ‘disarmament ad hoc commission’ was created to take away ‘loosly’ guns in the hands of South Sudanese which was not restrained, and only now under the latest interim government of South Sudan, they could get ‘machine guns’ with appropriate authority so that the problems of children abductions, women kidnapping and livestock rustlings will be lessened with licensing the owner andof machine gun barriers.

After creating this ‘ad hoc commission’ to remove ‘loosely machines’ from civilian monopoly, it was dispersed and dispatched to certain South Sudanese States like Jonglei State that had ‘insurgency’ and probably there might be reprisal for relatives killed in the between the 1991 to 1993 Nuer ethnic group insurgency as well as concern with Murle people cattle rustling that never had stopped since before the war with Old Sudan ignited. Government of South Sudan decided to lessen a high rate of livestock rustling and influx of children abduction and women kidnappings in the State of Jonglei. 

Even before I made a visit for South Sudan, this ‘ad hoc commission’ was working to remove ‘loosely guns’ in the hands of civilian populations, unless you have had an appropriate licensing that when this ‘ad hoc commission’ led by Leutenient (Lt.) Bol Kong from Ayod County with other low ranking commanders from SPLM like High commander Bior-manyunduk Aguerdit from Twic East County, Jonglei State---South Sudan and the rest of delegate selected for temporary disarmament commission. Per talking to residential people of Twic East County, Jonglei State---South Sudan, they had told that this was a ‘second time’ occassion for SPLM ‘ad hoc commission’ to remove ‘unlicensed machine guns’ in the hands of civilians to which were awfully affected by war. I was so fortunate and lucky enough to meet with some of this ‘ad hoc commission’ in 2010 right before referendum was held in 2011. This temporary agency was rushing to disarm people since they tended to foster ‘formidable threats’ to the domestic tranquility and to the well-being of people of Twic East County, Bor South County and Duk County that recently got out of War with Old Sudan as well as with counter-insurgency fighting that was ended in Nairobi---Kenya before 2005 with which the South Sudan for Independence Movement (SSIM) rival faction engineer by training Dr. Riek Machar-teny, who is today transcended to the post of South Sudan Vice-presidency signed and ended the so-called  ‘Nasir Declaration’ in the ‘Two-gentlemen Agreement’ in Nairobi---Kenya in 2005 almost the same year the South Sudan and Old Sudan----2005 ‘Naivasha-Machakos Agreements’ in Kenya. 

When was it started?

It was just begun right during the South Sudan’s referendum six years term protocols before referendum secession votings, especially in the Jonglei State, Twic East County areas to unearth ‘clustered bomb and land-mines sowed during 1991-1993 counter-insurgency fightings against the Nuer ethnic insurgents since they had defected from mainstream South Sudan SPLM Political organization and formed their own distinct faction as well they had removed landmines sowed during the South Sudan political struggles since 1983 to 2005.

Regional areas and States were awfully affected, especially in the Equatorial region and Upper Nile region with exception of Bhar el ghazal region since there were the so called ‘MurohnDheen’ militias who come with ‘horse-back’ to which it had different fighting strategies that was imposed to protect those civilians. Of course, I wanted to speak volume about it since ‘war-time operations’ was based in one part of region, especially the Equatorial region in the South Sudanese part of region to curb back the Old Sudan to their regional areas with exception of Nuba Mountain territory, Blue Nile territory, and of Abyei territory there as stipulated in the 1905 Ngok people chief Deng Majok‘s demarcation border of South Sudan and Old Sudan, although the country was still united under the colonial British’s overseas boma administrations, but had run regionally: ‘Junub’ (South Sudan) and ‘Shumal’ (meaning North Sudan) in Dinka language with derivation from Arabic language---this has historical trends with Ngok people chief Deng Majok, the fatherof Professor Francis Mading Deng and yet he is the South Sudan ambassador to the United Nations. 

Who enforced it?

It was enforced by this ad hoc commission to which comprised of special landmining technicians who were commissioned by the South Sudan federal government and State government to remove un-licensed machines guns as well as ‘sowed clustered landmines and bombs’ in the areas of Twic East County planted during the 1993 Counter-insurgency fighting to curb back enemy from backlash defeat and long-austerity. 

Advantage and Disadvantage of the disarmament CommissionPolicy:

It was awesome having loosely machine guns removed from the hands of civilians of Jonglei State since this State had never had‘long-term peace’ with itself. Initially it began with ongoing tension of livestock rustlings, children abductions and women kidnapping to which people of Twic East County always reiterated that ‘why Murle people of Pibor County never multiple and have childrens so that they stopped kidnapping children and women?’-----probably they might have some sort of genetics pathogens and diseases that keeps them barren or having ‘no children’ instead of taking other people’s children and women always-----this is a paraphrasing statement from people of Twic East County in response to the ongoing livestock rustlings, children abductions, and women kidnapping experiences with the Murle people of Pibor County with exception of rustlers from Nuer ethnic groups since they come in the large number of people equipped for battles and to plunderlivestocks after battles with people of Twic East County, Jonglei State---South Sudan like ‘Pagaak battle’ with Nuer ethnic people which had resulted in killing of my grandparents: Joak Ajur and Chief Duot Bior-kweigak.  

And there was recent battle with Murle people of Pibor County, Jonglei State----South Sudan, in the village of Payom which had lasted for several hours fighting. Numerous number of Murle people were killed including their reknown best warrior and fighter according to Murle people of Pibor County, ‘Majuong’ to which whole fighting before 1983 South Sudan uprising from Old Sudan, was dedicated and named after Majuong that today literally referred to as ‘Beher Majuong’ battle----meaning fighting with Murle people to which ‘Beher’ in Dinka language are synonym in definitions. 

Saving lives would denote ‘advantage’ to this ‘ad hoc commission’ with which was put in place to take away ‘loosely machine guns’ from the civilian populations so that South Sudan State and Local governments could be hold accountable for insecurity in the County level whereas disadvantages of this ‘ad hoc commission’ is that it was ‘disapproportional measure’ since it took place in one State as well as some Counties out of total eleventh(11) Counties in Jonglei State, where Murle people were not disarmed since they were not found in their County------there was not any disarmament operations in the Equatorial regions with its three(3) States: Eastern Equatorial State, Western Equatorial State, and Central Equatorial State; and in the Bhar el Ghazal regions with its four(4) States: Western Bhar el Ghazal State, Lake State, Warrap State, and Northern Bhar el Ghazal State.