A community head chief on a peace mission was killed during recent clashes in South Sudan’s Jonglei State, a county official said Tuesday.
Moses Machot Gierkuach, head chief of Panyang Payam in Duk County, was killed in Yuai town on Jan. 2 amid fighting between the SSPDF and the SPLA-IO in Uror County, according to John Chatim Ruei, the Duk County commissioner.
The chief had traveled to neighboring Uror County days earlier to mediate between the Dinka community of Duk and the Lou Nuer community of Uror, Ruei told Radio Tamazuj.
“It’s likely that the chief was killed in crossfire. However, we can’t rule out the possibility of assassination,” Ruei said. He described the chief’s death as a significant loss but said the exact circumstances remain unclear.
Due to ongoing insecurity, Gierkuach’s body was buried in Yuai — the headquarters of Uror County — and has not been transported to his home area, Ruei added.
For more than a decade, Gierkuach had worked as a peacemaker between communities, the commissioner said.
The clash occurred as SPLA-IO forces captured the town of Yuai from the SSPDF.
The opposition SPLA-IO recently seized Yuai and Waat garrisons, marking an intensification of fighting in the region.
SPLA-IO officials in Yuai could not immediately be reached for comment.
In South Sudan, traditional chiefs are the primary facilitators of local peace and dialogue between communities. Their authority, rooted in customary law and community respect, is formally recognized under the Local Government Act (2009), which integrates them into the governance structure.