Date:
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Countries:
Africa
Eastern Africa
S. Sudan
PeaceWomen Consolidated Themes:
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
Recent attacks by ethnic tribes in the Jonglei state, South Sudan have killed an estimated 3,000 people and left approximately 100,000 displaced. Women and children account for the majority of people abducted and murdered.
The Lou Nuer and Murle tribes of the Jonglei state have a history of violent tensions. The most recent wave of attacks was sparked by cattle raids after the Lou Nuer tribes were accused of invading the Murle district and stealing nearly 90,000 cattle over the duration of two weeks. Outside forces intervened and the Murle tribes launched a retaliation attack, killing 24 people. Conflict in the region has also been exacerbated by factors such as poverty, competition for scarce resources, and the marginalization of ethnic minorities.
Since these attacks, the State of Jonglei has been declared a disaster area by both the South Sudan government and United Nations Mission in South Sudan.
