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Civilian wounded being evacuated from an area 7 km west of Duk Padiet, then waiting for a helicopter that never came, before being loaded into the back of a pick-up for transfer to the ASCOM-run hospital near Duk Padiet. The civilians later confirmed government reports that the attackers were using G3 rifles that are said to have been distributed by the Khartoum government, and are uncommon weapons in the South. They also confirmed that the shooting was indiscriminant, and that no cattle were taken.

On Sept. 20 2009, the town was atacked by a tribal militia of Luo Nuer killing 82 Dinka civillians and government soldiers and wounding 52. This was one of the largest inter-tribal attacks to occur since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in 2005, and the Southern Government suspects that this violence was initiated by the Khartoum government to destabilize Southern Sudan and interfere with the upcoming 2010 elections, which will be followed by a referendum on independence in 2011. The attack on Duk Padiet, a small Dinka village, was a coordinated assault from all four sides simultaneously, using a type of automatic weapon ("G3" rifle) that is the weapon uncommon in the south and favored by Khartoum-supplied forces. The attack targeted men, women and children, and involved looting and burning the town of Duk Padiet and surrounding mud homes. In contrast to traditional cattle raids which have killed scores of people in the past, this raid involved no taking of cattle which are commonly stolen to pay bridal dowries. In Duk Padiet the thatch roof police station was burned to the ground, a WFP food warehouse was shot up, and the attackers even stole bibles and plastic chairs from the church. The government had known of the impending attack, but was unable to get Lou Nuer tribal elders to convince their youth to call of the attack. The town was quickly reinforced by government troops, who killed at least 85 attackers, and left their bodies to rot where they fell.

Filename
STNMTZ_20090923_13236.tif
Copyright
©2009 George Steinmetz
Image Size
5616x3744 / 60.2MB
Contained in galleries
South Sudan
Civilian wounded being evacuated from an area 7 km west of Duk Padiet, then waiting for a helicopter that never came, before being loaded into the back of a pick-up for transfer to the ASCOM-run hospital near Duk Padiet. The civilians later confirmed government reports that the attackers were using G3 rifles that are said to have been distributed by the Khartoum government, and are uncommon weapons in the South. They also confirmed that the shooting was indiscriminant, and that no cattle were taken.<br /> <br /> On Sept. 20 2009, the town was atacked by a tribal militia of Luo Nuer killing 82 Dinka civillians and government soldiers and wounding 52. This was one of the largest inter-tribal attacks to occur since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in 2005, and the Southern Government suspects that this violence was initiated by the Khartoum government to destabilize Southern Sudan and interfere with the upcoming 2010 elections, which will be followed by a referendum on independence in 2011. The attack on Duk Padiet, a small Dinka village, was a coordinated assault from all four sides simultaneously, using a type of automatic weapon ("G3" rifle) that is the weapon uncommon in the south and favored by Khartoum-supplied forces. The attack targeted men, women and children, and involved looting and burning the town of Duk Padiet and surrounding mud homes. In contrast to traditional cattle raids which have killed scores of people in the past, this raid involved no taking of cattle which are commonly stolen to pay bridal dowries. In Duk Padiet the thatch roof police station was burned to the ground, a WFP food warehouse was shot up, and the attackers even stole bibles and plastic chairs from the church. The government had known of the impending attack, but was unable to get Lou Nuer tribal elders to convince their youth to call of the attack. The town was quickly reinforced by government troops, who killed at least 85 attackers, and left their bodies to rot where they fell.

All images ©George Steinmetz. Please contact us for usage.