Violence in Leer sparks outcry from Unity State
Unity State has appealed to the presidency and peace guarantors to rescue the situation in the southern part of the state, describing it as ‘tense’ with massive displacement ongoing.
The Unity State Deputy Governor, Tor Tungwar Kueiguong, said since February 14, Leer County has been witnessing recurring cases of looting and torching of houses. He said this has forced civilians in the villages to flee to swampy areas for safety.
“The situation has been tense for the last few days. “As a result, many civilians have fled to swampy areas,” Tungwar said, adding, “And in Unity State, there is now higher ground, but everything is swampy due to recent flooding.”
“I am appealing to the presidency and supreme authorities to quickly intervene and stop the crisis because the situation is worse,” appealed Mr. Tungwar as he spoke to The City Review on the phone Sunday evening. He is also the state chairperson of the SPLM/A-IO.
He said the majority of the displaced people were women, children, and elderly people who were in dire need of assistance.
It remained unclear who was attacking whom, but the deputy governor accused some county commissioners of being behind the ongoing situation in the southern part of the state. The state official said that an urgent solution was needed to stop violence to allow residents to rebuild their lives.
He condemned the act and called on all the state officials and civilian population of Unity State to work together towards the implementation of the 2018 revitalised peace agreement as the only genuine solution to the South Sudan conflict.
In a press release, the Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), Edmund Yakani accused some parties’ army commanders of perpetuating violence in Unity and Upper Nile states.
“It is clear that some field commands of some of the parties to the R-ARCSS are undermining the spirit of transitioning the situation in our country from violence to peace through the genuine implementation of the R-ARCSS.” Mr. Yakani said, as he called on the principals of the parties to demonstrate responsibility by holding their field commands accountable.
The SPLM/S-IO Spokesperson, Brig, Lam Paul Gabriel however, told The City Review on Sunday evening that the leadership of the Joint Defence Board has agreed to send its team to Unity State to investigate the situation.
