July 1, 2023 – The attack on peacemakers at Wunkur in RAA by IO’s disgruntled criminals can be analyzed in two ways: one is that the self-branded IO disgruntled criminals failed to achieve their idea of ousting President Kiir from power and two, the economic challenge has hit them, and as a result, they sort into robberies tactic. They are hungry because they do not have a permanent source of income. Thus, the robbery tactic is the only breadbasket for surviving in the self-branded IO disgruntled criminals. For those who do not know about Wunkur County, it was one of the Ruweng Payams since Ruweng was a County in the defuncted Unity State and administered as Wunkur County in Ruweng State.

Historically, Wunkur belongs to Ruweng Administrative Area, was captured and occupied by rebels in 2013, and has never been recovered. The self-branded IO disgruntled criminals attempt to occupy and use Wunkur County as an assess point from Sudan. Dr. Machar hangs on to Wunkur County to get back up from Sudan if he fails to achieve his desirable demand from the South Sudan government. Thus, his agenda is to keep Wunkur County as an assessment point from Sudan; that was why his mini militia attacked peacemakers to deter Ruweng people from returning to Wunkur County. This attack was coordinated, and a thorough investigation must be made by involving the Pagak Commissioner, who has become a surrogate in distorting the information about the incident.

On the west side of Ruweng, Governor Nguen has administered Derbim (Alalob, the suburb of Panakuach in Aliiny County) as a Payam of Rubkona. This is another location Dr. Machar’s mini militia group tried to gain assess to Sudan. These mini militia groups aim to keep these corridors an assess point from Sudan, and the South Sudan government security and government of Ruweng must investigate and find a better solution. The best recommendation is to build a strong military based in Wunkur County to secure illegal movement between South Sudan and Sudan and station outpost in Derbim (Alalob) in Ruweng Administrative Area to minimize an illegal movement of armed mini militia.

Since the formidable rebel leader Dr. Machar signed peace with the South Sudan government, his rebels broke into mini-armed groups. They alleged that they distanced themselves from their leader because of inner conflicts with him, their boss. However, some political analysts have been skeptical of the claims because they believe such claims are a routine behavior of Dr. Machar’s tactics to secure his position in the rank and files of the SPLM, the founding party. Dr. Machar routinely leaves his armed groups behind because he knows, but many inexperienced people believe him.

In 1991, when Dr. Machar broke away from Dr. Garang, the leader of the SPLM/A, he took with him a handful of his tribe’s armed men. He horrifically waged war with the SPLM/A as the proxy of the Khartoum-based government. He signed peace with the Sudan government, and his militia armed groups were used to help clear the way for the construction of the Panthou (Heilig) pipeline. After the Sudan government achieved its goal, they withdrew from Dr. Machar, threatening him until he returned to Dr. Garang and told him that the Sudan government did not obey the agreement he signed with them. Dr. Garang welcomed him and referred him to John’s verse in the Bible to read it.

From his failure, Dr. Machar never learned, and he tries to keep illegal mini militia groups that continue to terrorize civilians in their villages. If Dr. Machar accepted peace, why he still keeps them unintegrated into the unified forces? The South Sudan government must stand up by using the regulatory rules and legal systems to end the mini-armed groups in the country. Otherwise, insecurity would continue to deteriorate, particularly in Ruweng Administrative Area (RAA), as they attacked the peacemakers from Wunkur County in Ruweng Administrative Area on July 1, 2023, killing seven (7) people. This act of aggression against the Ruweng Administrative Area should be responded to in kind, but the government of the Ruweng Administrative Area stands for a peace agreement.