South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"

By Awan Achiek
The leader of Democratic Change Party and Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Onyoti Adigo Nyikuac on Thursday called on the Upper Nile State government to arrest the ringleaders behind last week’s deadly violence at the UN Protection of Civilians Site (PoC) in Malakal.
“We are calling upon the government of Upper Nile State to trace for the ringleaders, those people who did this thing, they should be arrested and taken to court and if there are people behind them, also the law will take its course,” Adigo said at a press conference held on Thursday in Juba.
Clashes erupted between Shilluk and Padang Dinka communities last week, leading to a spate of revenge killings in and around Malakal town in Upper Nile State.
Sources on the ground claim eleven lives were lost in the violence.
Adigo appealed to people of Upper Nile to remain calm in order to allow the government to restore stability.
“Last time we worked very hard with the government of Upper Nile to bring peace in Upper Nile, and we visited so many counties initiating peace, and in fact there was peace and stability realized in Upper Nile but unfortunately there are problems which have come up and we don’t want such things to happen,” he said.
For his part, Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS, said the Mission continues to support efforts to protect civilians and maintain calm through intensive patrols and engagement with affected communities.
“We appreciate the coordination and close partnerships with national, state and local authorities who played an important role in ensuring that further escalations in violence do not take place and that people are able to resume their daily activities safely,” Haysom said in a statement.
Haysom commended the swift and ongoing responses by state authorities and government security forces to reduce tensions and keep communities safe, saying the situation is currently calm but fragile.
He said the Mission is working closely with government partners and has proactively deployed peacekeepers in and around the UN Protection of Civilians Site in Malakal to make sure displaced people are secure.