Bor community demands retraction after governor downplays 1991 atrocities

BOR — The Bor community has demanded an immediate retraction from Jonglei State Governor Riak Gai Kok, accusing him of downplaying the severity of the 1991 Bor massacre in remarks they described as “irresponsible” and “factually incorrect.”

In a formal protest letter issued on Monday, the community condemned the governor for attempting to rewrite history and trivialize one of the most painful chapters in South Sudan’s past.

The backlash stems from remarks Gai made on Wednesday while addressing a rally in Poktap, the administrative headquarters of Duk County. In a speech largely aimed at criticizing First Vice President Riek Machar for allegedly stoking ethnic tensions in 2013, Gai veered into a controversial retelling of the 1991 events.

Gai argued that the Dinka Bor population had fled before Machar’s forces reached the town, claiming the brunt of the fighting took place in Duk County instead.

“The whole problem was here,” Gai told the crowd in Poktap. “If you ask someone in Bor, no single person was killed because as you were fighting here, the Bor people already fled.”

The comments have sparked outrage among the Bor community, who view the 1991 attack—in which estimates suggest at least 2,000 civilians were killed by Machar’s Nasir faction and the “White Army” militia—as a defining historical trauma.

“These statements are not only factually incorrect but also gravely irresponsible,” said Peter Wal Athiu, the acting chairman of the Bor community, in the letter addressed to the governor.

“The 1991 Bor Massacre remains one of the darkest and most painful chapters in the history of South Sudan, particularly for the people of Bor. To deny these well-documented atrocities is to disregard historical truth and to reopen deep wounds for survivors and families of the victims,” letter added.

The community warned that such rhetoric from a state official risks undermining reconciliation efforts in a region still plagued by inter-communal violence.

They described the remarks as “demeaning and divisive,” noting that historical records and human rights groups have extensively documented the mass killings, displacement, and destruction of livelihoods that occurred during the attack.

“Trivializing the immense suffering endured by the people of Bor dishonors the memory of the victims and undermines the dignity of an entire community,” Athiu wrote.

The controversy comes at a delicate time for Jonglei State. Gai’s visit to Poktap was intended to rally support against Machar’s SPLM-IO, whom he accused of using different political narratives to divide the Nuer and Dinka communities.

Just two days after the governor’s rally, opposition forces captured the nearby strategic town of Pajut, heightening security fears in the area.

Despite the governor’s attempt to highlight local cooperation—noting that Dinka residents in Poktap were currently sheltering displaced Nuer civilians—his revisionist comments on 1991 have largely overshadowed his message of unity.

The Bor community urged the national government to counsel leaders against making statements that marginalize specific groups.

“Your words carry considerable weight and influence and should be used to foster healing, mutual respect, and unity among our people,” Athiu said. “History cannot be erased, and the suffering of survivors must never be denied or underestimated.”