CHAPTER 4. Local Protection of Civilians(POC)’s Insights: Jonglei State Polices, and  Local County Sheriffs known as “Tite weeng” in Dinka Language

There is an existing and established Police in Jonglei State in South Sudan. Although it is newly born Country, we could still compare and/or contrast  it with the rest of Nations in the the Third World Countries. They work tirelessly and relently with local people in the County level in South Sudan. They also had  to file and documented incidents of livestock rustling for welfare of local people in County areas of Bor South County, Twic East County, and Duk County in South Sudan in Africa.

And there is also version of Protection group known as “Tite Weeng’ in Dinka language. And I guess their task is to protect their livestock from the lesson learned during the 1991-1993 Nuer ethnic insurgency to which they took away and plundered livestock. This literally meant in Dinka Language, ‘Aci weng Nyai’. It was a great havoc especially to local people of Twic East County, Bor South County, and Duk County in South Sudan since young adult had left for SPLA military trainings. The SPLA Army is the military wing for Country of South Sudan. And only youth, elderly people, and women were left behind to herd livestock they had raised for family support, and their cost of living arrangements.

Jonglei State Police and Sheriffs in South Sudan

As obvious, Jonglei State police, and the village/Town sheriffs’ tasks in the South Sudan was to enforce laws by bringing perpetrators into justice. Especially problems pertaining cattle rustlings, they can also compile criminal reports. It was getting so rampant insecurities of children abductions, and women kidnapping. They were top frequent incidents compiled to which they said that they are high rate risk in the Jonglei State, especially in the Counties of Twic East County, Duk County and Bor South County in South Sudan in Africa. There were numerous incident reports that especially from side of Ayidi village, residential place of Abii people, and Paleek people of Bor South County, the Murle Ethnic groups’ attackers were spotted.

During my 1990s Trip for Bor South County with GOAL logistics and storekeeper Mr. Mach Mel from Bor South County alongst with Mr. Manyok from Duk County, and Mr. David Wuor from Twic East County in South Sudan, we went for observance, and experiences in the areas. Right before I flew for Kenya in 1999, it was getting so awful. And local people of Paleek sections of Dinka Bor Ethnic groups in Waar Mel village, have had experienced this kind of unpleasant livestock rustling, children abduction and women kidnapping. People of Paleek sections surrounding Waar Mel village kept their livestock much closer to the people. During the rainy seasons, they kept their livestocks in the various cattle camps like Mathok cattle camp in Bor South County in South Sudan. And in other seasons, they take their cattle much adjacent to the riparian of Nile basins, where enemy, especially the Murle people of Pibor County, Jonglei State in South Sudan. They had difficulties of tumultuous storms to swim by crossing their livestock to other side of river Nile basins. They had to rustle the strong hailstorms of river Nile. This was horrific barriers of water downpour to which most people, who keep and herd livestock in the Bor South County, have had to fear. They preferred to keep their livestock much along the river Nile. During the dry season and summer seasons, they take their cattle cows much adjacent to swamps areas of river Nile due to its deadly tropical storms.

In 1990s visitations, we spent almost a year in the village of Kuch door of Paleek sections’ people. We had to help family and relative of GOAL Logistic and storekeeper, Mr. Mach Mel. It was a pleasant experiences. And we left Waar Mel village right after sorghums, and other plants were ripen and had yielded their seed crops. They kept their flock of weaving birds like cardinals known as ‘Lual’ in Dinka language aways from eating their sorghums. It was a risky daily tasks on the sorghum field farms. And the Dinka Bor Ethnic groups’ people used to build a sitting high rise stance known as ‘piom’ in Dinka language. Probably, we made this trip between 1990s and 1998 directly from village/Town of Panyagor in Twic East County in South Sudan. I have had never been there, before. And this trip with Mr. Mach Mel, and Manyok from Duk County in South Sudan, was for the first time. During the reconstruction phase eras, people of Bor South County, had come back from their hiding places. We had visited many areas in Bor South County of Panueer town of Abii people. And in the Malek areas, there are ‘Thany’ people. We literally meant people, who lived in the basin of river Nile without cattle. Basin of Malek area of river Nile are solely used for fishery and Sport. They also used for planting of corns fields, beans, and/or tobacco plantations along the river Nile basin. They planted corns, and beans for consumptions without worries of livestock herding, and bridewealth dowries. “Thany” word in Dinka language is basically meant people without cattle. However, they decided to stay there along the river Nile basin for fishery and/or sport. And they also grew cash crops like corns, beans, sugarcanes, cassavas, and other various crops that grow well in such tropical area. They are used to that ‘lifestyles and ways of life’, with which they do not bother themselves herding cattles. And they are predominantly residents of Bor South County in South Sudan in Africa. They tended to refer themselves as ‘Thany’ people of Malek area, which is few miles away from the village/Town of Bor in Jonglei State in South Sudan. And in the Waar Mel village, we spent our whole day of walk for life  since dawn until sunset.

Reinforcement of certain criminal penal code laws to which they  established. They enforced laws not for choice, but to keep perpetrators out of harming nobody by locking them up in the prisons cells. During the 2011 referendums as it is imposed in the 2005 CPA Agreement protocols, people had civic duties to vote overwhelming for seceding from Old Sudan. They seceded from the Old Sudan in 2011 referendum voting to which they left Old Sudan by dissolving the Government of National Unity(GONU) in City of Khartoum in Sudan. Registered voters have had casted their referendum ballots to keep both South Sudan, and Old Sudan together for those number of six years term for secession in 2011. Jonglei State Police and sheriffs were meant to reinforce those penal code laws as well. In the other word, the ten (10)States of Republics of South Sudan have a  premise of ‘check and balance’ powers until they were modified by 2011 referendum votes. System of governance was like Government of South Sudan (GOSS) interfaced with the Government of National Unity(GONU) of Old Sudan governments. Basically, both Countries have separate authorities, where they have had established their police Departments and sheriffs. They are there to enforce both civil and criminal penal code laws. During the six years terms, they will monitor and implement whatever imposed in the 2005 CPA Agreements mandate. 

During those six years term interim governments of South Sudan, they will govern themselves peacefully. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) frequently drove by for peacebuilding missions in South Sudan. They are currently working in interface with Jonglei State Police and Sheriffs in various Counties of Jonglei State as well as with other local governments’ levels  in South Sudan. Twic East County commissioner, Mr. Dau Akoi Jurkuch acknowledged and testified that UNMIS peacebuilding forces come frequently for safeguard of CPA protocols as well as for the welfare of local people in various Counties in South Sudan. During those six years terms for 2011 referendum votes since 2005, they held their 2010 Presidential elections without worries about International Community like KGB for encouraging, or invigorating domestic violences in the Polling site in South Sudan. I also ran into UNMIS peacebuilding forces in the Bor Town’s airport when I was about to flight for village/Town of Panyagor in Twic East County, Jonglei State in South Sudan.  During my recent 2010-2012 trip for South Sudan for Africa, I was so auspiciously impressed by their democracy as the French Political Scientist Alexis de Tocqueville would revitalized in US Democracy.

Jonglei State Police with town sheriffs run a public safety, and clearance by taking a walk for few miles around. They walked into suspicious places in a day. And they also compiled incident reports from the local Counties’ with which they have interface jurisdictions. They probably looked into place to which their daily tasks is to go around the village/Town of Bor’s Neighborhood by making ‘Maruur’ in Dinka language. Seeing Police and Sheriffs walking for miles by miles in Twic East County in South Sudan in Africa is not a bad signs, or ferocious. Some of areas of Twic East County in South Sudan does not have a good physical infrastructure, where Police and Sheriffs could take a drive instead of walks.