9 dead as SSPDF, Arab militias clash in Northern Bahr el Ghazal

JUBA– Four soldiers of the South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF) and five Misseriya men were killed on Friday last week near an army base in the Warguet area of Northern Bahr el Ghazal’s Aweil East County, officials said, Radio Tamazuj reports.

The SSPDF’s Division 3 commander Maj. General Akuei Ajou told Radio Tamazuj on Sunday that a group of armed Misseriya youth who were allegedly searching for missing persons clashed with an SSPDF patrol unit killing one solder.

He added that following the clash, a reinforcement force was ambushed leaving three other soldiers dead.

“There was unplanned fighting that happened the day before yesterday (Friday) because there were two girls and one boy who went missing from Misseriya while they were collecting gum. Some youth came and said they wanted to search for the missing ones,” Gen. Akuei explained. “We had a small force that went out to patrol around the camp, so they (armed Misseriya) suddenly shot dead one soldier. And after that gunshots were heard, our reinforcement force arrived at the scene and it fell in an ambush so they fought them, and four soldiers were killed from us and five killed from them.”

According to Gen. Akuei, the bodies of two missing persons were recovered on Sunday morning after they allegedly died from thirst. He also claimed that there are reports that armed youth in Meiram are mobilizing to retaliate against the military base.

The state security advisor, Joseph Akok Aleu, described the assailants as criminals who were not intended to promote peace.

“These (attackers) are criminals and they don’t have intension on peace,’’ said Akok. “We are now in peace program and we started to make peace and reopening of Majok-Meiram road,” he said.

Nafisa Ayak, a member of the Dinka Malual and Misseriya peace committee, proposed that both governments in Sudan’s Western Kordufan and South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal States must sit together to resolve all issues affecting the communities.

“This needs both governments in to sit together, that is a solution so that there will be no more problems,” she quoted.

Since January tensions between the two communities have increased following attacks that led to deaths and destruction of property in Aweil East County.