The Acting County Commissioner of Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) confirmed that calm had returned to his area after two days of bloodshed clashes erupted when a group of South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF) soldiers allegedly attacked Okwa village of the Awetaballa Payam that leaves 5 people were killed and four other injured.
Last week, local youth in Pochalla county, Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) clashed with a group of SSPDF soldiers based in Raat accused to be mainly from Pibor led by an army commander from Pibor in Okwa village of Awetaballa Payam.
Owety Olung, the Pochalla Acting County Commissioner, said that the clashes erupted when a group of SSPDF soldiers allegedly attacked Okwa village on 3rd June 2022.
“The situation is now getting calm after violence that continued for nearly two days in the area,”
Meanwhile, Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of CEPO said CEPO called for accountability for the incident. The trend of SSPDF and civilian population clashing is increasing and disturbing because violent and deadly clashes are on the rise across the country.
“The clashes are triggered by armed cattle raiding, misconduct of soldiers, revenge attacks and armed bandit activities have urged the youth of Pochalla to remain calm and de-escalate violent confrontation of SSPDF and we hope the SSPDF leadership wills response effectively to prevent the continuity of the clashes in Okwa village,”
He added that the national legislature really is rise required to push the executive organ of the government at the state and local government level to be effective in conflict prevention. The country is losing a great of people due to deadly armed communal violence monthly. This trend of violence among the communities and the communities with our army sincerely requires an urgent effective response by the national government. These deadly incidences if remain unresolved effectively may lead to a serious commitment of crime against humanity. Yakani stressed
He revealed that CEPO urged the Council of States leadership following the directive from His Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit recently to them to seriously commission each state leadership to develop effective and responsive conflict early warming with an effective response for the sake of preventing deadly violence
“CEPO is ready to collaborate and reach out to other partners for join engagement with the Council of States on the development of each state-specific conflict prevention system,” he said.
