At least 5 people were killed and scores injured last weekend when a group of armed men attacked several villages in Fahoda County in Upper Nile State, officials said.
The state’s acting information minister, Simon Tut, told Radio Tamazuj Tuesday that the marauding gunmen torched several homes and that the attack led to the displacement of over 6,000 people who fled to Kodok and the UNMISS Protection of Civilians site in Malakal.
“On 7 October, there were attacks carried out by armed men in Bol, Patit, and Kor Genera in Fashoda. They killed 5 people including 3 women and 2 elderly people and injured 3 others,” he said. “They also burned houses. The situation is now back to normal though.”
Minister Tut said the situation of the displaced people is dire and appealed to humanitarian agencies to come to their aid.
On his part, the commissioner of Fashoda County, Joseph Aban Odong, said that preliminary information indicated that 5 people were killed and 3 injured and 3,000 head of cattle rustled.
“For the last few days, we have had insecurity in parts of Fashoda County. There is an armed group belonging to SPLA-IO that clashed with the Agwelek forces and their fighting escalated and reached areas of Fashoda,” he said. “On Sunday, they killed children and some elderly people and the local youths perused them and fought them in Yoi and the attackers left.”
Commissioner Aban faulted the SPLA-IO loyal to First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar for the attacks.
“These are forces affiliated with the SPLA-IO that are fighting the Agwelek group,” he said. “They are the same group that attacked the villages.”
Meanwhile, the state police commissioner, Chol Atem, said the attackers came from the Ayod area in neighboring Jonglei state and attributed the attacks to infighting among several SPLA-IO splinter groups.
“What is happening is the continuous series of events since last July as a result of the fighting between the Kitgwang factions but cattle rustlers and the White Army also joined in,” he said. “The matter has become incomprehensible.”
In September, armed men attacked Adidyang village in the Panyikang County Finikang leaving several people dead and injured and displacing over 12,000 people from their villages to Malakal town.
The attacks come against the background of the fighting in the Tonga area, southwest of Malakal, between the three factions of the SPLA-IO led by Gen. Simon Gatwech, Gen. Johnson Olony, and Dr. Riek Machar.