"All places were dangerous": civilian voices from a South Sudan front line
| Publisher | IRIN |
| Author | Jason Patinkin |
| Publication Date | 21 October 2015 |
| Cite as | IRIN, "All places were dangerous": civilian voices from a South Sudan front line, 21 October 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/562898124.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Leer county Unity State has been one of the regions in South Sudan hardest hit since conflict in South Sudan broke out again in December 2013. It is the birthplace of rebel leader Riek Machar, a former vice president, and home of the Dok clan of the Nuer ethnic group.
In early 2014, government troops and their allies, notably Justice Equality Movement rebels from Darfur in Sudan, overran the area. Since May of this year, Leer has been the target of a large government offensive against Machar's insurgents. In that offensive government troops relied on assistance from loyalist Nuer militia, particularly members of the Bul clan from Mayom County and the Jaggey clan from Koch County.
Fighting in Leer has continued after Machar and President Salva Kiir, a Dinka, separately signed a peace deal in August.
All parties to this war have committed extensive abuses against civilians. Recent reports by the UN and Human Rights Watch detailed killings and rapes committed by government forces this year.
Many Leer civilians have fled to small swamp islands known as "tuoch" to escape the violence. Some 20,000 have left the county altogether and arrived in a town called Nyal to the south which has been peaceful, allowing relief workers deliver aid. Below are stories of survivors in Nyal.
