A new study released by the United Nations and the Census of Crimes and Justice in South Sudan shows that members of the Nuer tribe – while only 13% of South Sudans population – commit over half of all violent crimes.

In a response to the new study, Nuer elder Riek Machar issued a statement blaming poverty and Dinka colonialism for these statistics, while also citing bias in them:

“This is a slander against the Nuer people, as we dindu nothing. (sic) The system is clearly biased in favor of the Dinka. We demand that they pay several reparations to us, in the form of many cows and goats”

– Riek Machar 10/28/2019

Many of the countries other tribes have seemed to not care, as they do not have a significant population of Nuer living among them specifically and see it as a remote and far removed problem.

While the 64 tribes seem committed to unity, many have speculated that increased over representation in crimes such as murder and rapes from a single tribe will make this difficult going forward.