Paliet Chiefs Call For Prayers, Redoubling Efforts To Remove Commissioner

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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In a letter extended to the caretaker governor of the state, the chiefs raised several issues of concern especially cases resulting in deaths. They appealed for intervention from state authorities for protection and restoration of peace.

“We the paramount chiefs of greater Paliet section are indeed worried about all hasty deaths which are happening in our county, which are not properly investigated and culprits made accountable for the cause. But instead they are made to go without being brought to books and such cases are increasing.” The letter partially reads.

The chiefs have appealed to the government to allow them to organize religious prayers by the different churches within the county’s headquarters so that such incidents are minimized at all costs. They have also invited traditional spiritual leaders, who they have tasked with conducting prayers in line with the traditional beliefs of the surrounding communities.

“After feeling the concerns are worrying at all times, we reached out to both traditional spiritual leaders and our religious groups from different churches within the state to come and ask for forgiveness and stop of random bloodshed among our local communities within Aweil South County”, the letter reads.

The organizing committee visited the governor on Thursday and Friday respectively to discuss the way forward for the preparations of this event. The prayer event of joint churches is expected to happen next week from Wednesday to Friday, while traditional worship is expected over the weekend for the same purpose. The governor is said to have given the green-light to the request.

The community leaders also disclosed that they urged the governor that the only way to resolve the current chaos in the county would be the removal and replacement of the current county Commissioner, Jiel Mangok. They accuse Commissioner Mangok of mismanagement and partiality in his dealings with the local communities.

The representative of the paramount chiefs in Aweil South County, Ayom Akol Wek, continued: “We had a chance to tell the governor our concerns and disappointment with our current Commissioner; we explained to him with our supporting evidence as to why he is responsible for the messes. The governor said the case must be looked into by the party and the elders of Aweil South County  and we shall later be informed on the progress.” 

Akol continued that they as paramount chiefs are monitoring the performance of the Commissioner and have seen that more fatal crimes are happening and going unaccounted for. He said that there had been 12 cases of murder between 2013 and 2014 alone, cases he alleged have not been investigated.

Last week, the community leaders and youth publicly expressed their disappointment with Commissioner Jiel Mangok, accusing him, among other things, of dictatorship, corruption, discrimination and incitement of clannish and sub-sectional bias in greater Paliet. 

The beleaguered Commissioner dismissed the allegations as baseless and unfounded. He has refused to resign, saying he was nominated by the SPLM in 2010 and will thus only listen to request to step down only from the Party. He claims he has not to let the party down.

As reported by Gurtong earlier in July, supporters of the Commissioner claim that, as the longest serving commissioner in the county he has made changes and improvements changes in the county. Some claim that those wrangling for leadership are seeking their personal interests, since they know that the chance goes to their payam upon the departure of the current incumbent.
 
“He did lots of things in Aweil South, and if we look back, Aweil South is not like the way it was before. The people of Aweil South do not want the person to stay in the power for long to provide service to the people who in the grassroots”, explained Peter Mangok, who favours the Commissioner in the current dispute.

The state government has made no public statement on whether they will respond to the growing calls for the commissioner’s removal or instead address the dispute administratively.