UNMISS Force Commander Lieutenant-General Mohan Subramanian visited Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area following violence in Duk County. (Photo: Mach Samuel/UNMISS).

The UN Mission in South Sudan force commander appeals to Jonglei State and Pibor Administrative Area to end the historic cycle of violence, invoking the idiom, ‘an eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.’

Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian visited the neighboring regions, just days after gunmen attacked Duk County of Jonglei State – killing 28 people and taking off with 7,000 cattle.

The violence was condemned by activists, lawmakers and local government officials, who reiterated calls for the deployment of force in the Gadiang area at the border of Jonglei and Pibor.

General Subramanian held meetings last week with local authorities and security organs “to de-escalate hostilities”, according to a press release published on the UN peacekeeping mission’s website.

The Force Commander reiterated UNMISS’ previous call on the two communities to shun violence and embrace dialogue, while holding perpetrators of crimes accountable.

“Protecting civilians, our top priority, requires responsive and agile measures to reduce tensions and prevent violent, deadly conflicts,” General Subramanian said in Bor, as cited in the statement.

The UN official also visited Greater Pibor and met the Acting Chief Administrator and other local leaders on restoring stability following the deadly violence in Poktap, Duk County.

“An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind. Revenge killings must stop and the best way to start this process is by allowing justice and the rule of law to prevail,” Subramanian said.

“On behalf of UNMISS, your partner for peace, I reaffirm the mission’s commitment to protect civilians and support the process to achieve durable peace across South Sudan.”

James Yen Jal, a Member of Parliament representing Duk County in the Jonglei Legislative Assembly said an estimated 4,000 displaced persons are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, in Duk.

“People who fled the area are living in an open space and lack virtually everything. Those who stayed in Duk remain in fear of the attackers, who are still believed to be in the vicinity.”

Intercommunal violence has long marred relations in Jonglei and Greater Pibor.

Numerous peace dialogues, many of them supported by the peacekeeping mission, have been held over the last few years, but they have so far proved insufficient to root out underlying tensions.