11 May 2011 - UNMIS senior official Jasbir Lidder visited Jonglei State today, where he met senior state government representatives and discussed rising insecurity as well as the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

Present at the meeting in the state capital Bor with Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) Lidder were Governor Kuol Manyang, Deputy Governor Hussein Mar Nyuot, Minister for Local Government Ding Akol Ding and Adviser for Community Security Jodi Jongeli.

In recent months, Jonglei has experienced widespread insecurity caused by inter-community cattle rustling. According to the UN, more than 45 inter-communal attacks and cattle raids attributed to armed Murle occurred during the first quarter of 2011.

DSRSG Lidder said the purpose of his visit was to establish current challenges facing the state and how the UN, state and county authorities can improve their collaboration.

"We have of course been following the violence in Jonglei State ... with the senior leadership in Juba," Mr. Lidder said.

Governor Manyang revealed that cattle rustling, armed civilians, rebel militia groups, ill-equipped security forces and poor roads as well as communication infrastructure were among the biggest security challenges facing Jonglei.

"We have failed to effectively disarm our own people," the governor said. "Of the 8,000 joint police forces (wildlife, prisons, and security) that we have deployed to the counties, only about 2,000 to 3,000 have guns."

Discussing solutions, Governor Manyang said they had deployed police officers to the counties and were holding peace talks with the state's communities.

DSRSG Lidder said that long-term solutions to these problems would have to be broad-based. "(UNMIS) has started planning for the new mission in Southern Sudan because the present mandate will end on 9 July. When we are shaping the new mission, capacity development is a major area we are looking at."

Mr. Lidder also visited Pibor County where recent retaliatory cattle rustling attacks on the Murle community by armed Lou Nuer have displaced thousands.

"The displaced people currently registered with (the humanitarian non-governmental organization) InterSOS are 7,000, but we expect this number to increase because the two payams (townships) with 31 bomas (areas)were affected," said County Commissioner Akot Maze Adikir.

On April 22, unknown assailants in Duk County killed a senior UN World Food Programme staff. Following the attack, the WFP cut down its operations in the state, raising concerns about the humanitarian situation of the displaced.