The Jikany Nuer are a section of the

Nuer people The Nuer people are a Nilotic ethnic group concentrated in the Greater Upper Nile region of South Sudan. They also live in the Ethiopian region of Gambella. The Nuer speak the Nuer language, which belongs to the Nilotic language family. They ...

who mainly live in the eastern part of Upper Nile state in

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

, particularly around

Nasir Nasir ( ar, ناصر, translit=Nāṣir) is a masculine given name, commonly found in Arabic which can mean "helper" or "one who gives victory" (grammatically the Stem I masculine singular active participle of consonantal verb root ''n-ṣ-r''). ...

Nasir County The main populated villages around Nasir town include Jikmir, Torkech, Mandeng, Kuetrengke, Koat, Kieckuon, Roam, Kierwan, Dhuording, Guenye, Dinkar, Joung, Nyariew, Wanding, Rokrok, Kotkea, Maker and Mading. Nasir county has been the main strongho ...

Civil war

During the

Second Sudanese Civil War The Second Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. It was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originate ...

(1983–2005), between 1993 and 2004 the

Lou Nuer The Nuer people are a Nilotic peoples, Nilotic ethnic group concentrated in the Greater Upper Nile region of South Sudan. They also live in the Ethiopian region of Gambela Region, Gambella. The Nuer speak the Nuer language, which belongs to th ...

and Jikany Nuer of Nasir County were in violent conflict. After that time, relations between the two groups were calmer until 2009, when they deteriorated sharply.

Gordon Kong Chuol Gordon Kong Chuol is a former militia commander in South Sudan, who fought for the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and later for the forces led by Riek Machar during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Independence fighter Gordon Kong Chuol b ...

belongs to the Jikany Nuer and comes from Nasir. He became a militia leader of Thourjikany Forces, and a major-general in

Anya Nya II Anyanya II is the name taken in 1978 by a group of the 64 tribes of South Sudan dissidents who took up arms in All of Sudan. The name implies continuity with the Anyanya, or Anya-Nya, movement of the First Sudanese Civil War (1955-1972). When th ...

in 1988. He then became a commander and a member of the political and military high command of the SPLM/A. In August 1991 Riek Machar,

Lam Akol Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin, is a South Sudanese politician of Shilluk descent. He is the current leader of National Democratic Movement (NDM) party. He is a former high-ranking official in the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), and subsequently bec ...

and Gordon Kong announced that John Garang had been ejected from the SPLM. The breakaway faction, based in Nasir until 1995 and then in

Waat Waat is a village in the northeastern part of South Sudan. It is located in Nyirol County, Jonglei State Jonglei State is a state of South Sudan with Bor as its centre of government and the biggest city. Jonglei state comprises nine counties ...

and

Ayod Ayod is a town in Jonglei, South Sudan, headquarters of Ayod County. The Nuer people are the main inhabitants. Riek Machar, first vice-president of South Sudan, is the 26th son of the chief of both Ayod and Leer. A study of the village in Decemb ...

, was called the SPLM/A-Nasir faction from 1991 to 1993. In the first part of 1994, Gordon Kong became involved in a quarrel between Lou Nuer from Waat and Jikany Nuer in Nasir over fishing rights in the

Sobat River The Sobat River is a river of the Greater Upper Nile region in northeastern South Sudan, Africa. It is the most southerly of the great eastern tributaries of the White Nile, before the confluence with the Blue Nile. Geography The Sobat River is ...

. As commander of Waat and Nasir, Gordon Kong was ordered by Riek Machar to defend Nasir. Instead Gordon Kong left Nasir and launched an attack on Lou civilians. In response, the Lou called in Gordon Kong Banypiny for help, and he led a force of Lou men to Nasir, which they burned. Riek Machar arrested the commanders who had become involved in this fighting between SSIA sections and put them up for trial. Some were sentenced to imprisonment and others to death. Later they were pardoned.

References

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Civil war

References

See also