“Where is the Cabinet?”: Gier slams Govt absence after Abiemnhom tragedy

2026-03-18 - 10:36

A member of parliament, Gier Chuang Aluong, has slammed the government’s “absence” following the mass killing of over 200 people in Abiemnhom, questioning why the Governor of Unity State and senior national security officials failed to visit the site of the tragedy. Ruweng authorities said more than 160 people were killed in the attack on March 1. They blamed armed youth from Mayom County in Unity State for the violence. The attack has forced thousands of civilians to flee to neighbouring areas, including Warrap State, Abyei Administrative Area and Wau in Western Bahr el Ghazal. Speaking during a visit to Abiemnhom on Monday, Gier, a former Minister of Interior and former Minister of Roads, criticized government officials for not visiting the area to see the full scale of destruction and loss. He said senior leaders, including the Unity State governor Riek Bim Top, the presidential security advisor Tut Gatluak Manine, and members of the national cabinet, should have been present to show solidarity with the affected communities. “I appeal to the governor of Unity; he should have been here. I also expected the President’s security advisor and at least half of the cabinet to be present. More than 200 people have been buried,” he said. “In America, when one person dies, the head of state can fly on Air Force One to express condolences. Here, we are referring to 200-300 people. I am sorry, may God bless them,” he added. Gier made the remarks during a joint visit by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management and the Chairperson of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, who were in Abiemnhom County to assess the humanitarian situation barely weeks after the attack.