South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng
Fierce clashes broke out on Thursday in Tambura County between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), leaving five SSPDF soldiers dead, three wounded, and ten SPLA-IO fighters killed
Moses Massi Sere, the Acting Commissioner of Tambura County, reported that SSPDF soldiers fell into an ambush set by the SPLA-IO, which led to the casualties on both sides.
He emphasised the urgent need for intervention from both the national and state governments due to the deteriorating security situation in Tambura County.
“As the authorities on the ground, we are requesting the top leadership to intervene to resolve the problem and restore peace and unity to the people of Tambura. Our primary need is peace,” Sere stated during an interview on Friday.
“The situation in Tambura is becoming unmanageable. For the past five years, there have been no basic services, and insecurity has increased. We need peace so that our children can attend school and our people can engage in agricultural activities,” he added.
Sere also revealed that a UNMISS team fell into an ambush while patrolling from Tambura to Mokusi. He stated that the opposition forces seized a PKM machine gun and an AK-47, along with 300 rounds for the PKM and 30 rounds for the AK-47.
“We are urging the government to assist UNMISS by providing additional forces. We request UNMISS and the SSPDF to halt this confrontation; our primary concern is to see stability and unity in Tambura,” he said.
He noted that many internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were working on their farms have stopped due to the fear caused by ongoing violence, and many have returned to the UNMISS protection site.
“I appeal to the UN family for intervention. With this situation, communities are starving, and those in the protection of civilians (POC) site or IDP camps are facing dire conditions,” he stated.
“We need to coexist as we did before. Therefore, we require political intervention to resolve the issues in Tambura. There is no food, clean water, or medical supplies for the people,” he concluded.
