Senior officials meet Kiir over Ruweng violence

The Deputy Speaker of the Council of States, Mary Ayen Mijok, and political leaders from the Ruweng Administrative Area have called for calm among the people in the Ruweng Administrative Area and a cessation of hostilities.

She said those attacking people in Ruweng are not ordinary youth but armed civilians.

She made these remarks in a briefing to President Salva Kiir in his office on the ongoing situation in Ruweng.

There has been a serious report of sub-national conflict in the Ruweng Administrative Area recently.

On Monday, a group of politicians from the area led by the deputy speaker of the council of state briefed the president on the matter.

According to a statement from the Information Minister of Ruweng Administrative Area, James Arop,  at least 17 people were reported to have been killed in revenge-related violence in Touch County, Ruweng Administrative Area, last Saturday.

James Arop said the violence followed an attack in Bolyaar Boma of Tuoch County where three men were reportedly killed at a fishing site and another at his house by armed men on February 6 and 10 respectively.

Authorities in the area, however, have accused youth from a neighbouring community of being behind the plot.

The incident prompted a retaliatory attack in the neighbouring Unity State on Saturday, which also left more than 20 people injured.

“The youth of Tuoch County were angry and said the killers of the previous attack were arrested and not jailed in Ruweng where they committed the crime,” Arop told eye radio from Ruweng.

“On date 12th they went and attacked a cattle camp, so the fight continued, and we lost 17 and the wounded are more than 20,” he added.

Arop called on the youth from the rival communities to refrain from violence.