Civilians have fled the Lakama’di area of Mundri East County in Western Equatoria state, local officials said, after South Sudanese government troops entered the area in pursuit of opposition forces.
The deployment of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) on Sunday follows a week of renewed clashes in Kediba.
Last week, the SSPDF regained control of Kediba Town, the administrative headquarters of Mundri East County, following clashes with a joint force of the National Salvation Front (NAS) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO).
The military action in the Lakama’di area sent residents fleeing into nearby bushes for safety, according to a local chief who spoke to Radio Tamazuj on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
The chief reported that government forces engaged in random shooting and shelling, prompting the exodus. He said the clashes began in the area of Bitti before extending to Lakama’di center, which he described as “completely deserted, with only SSPDF soldiers remaining.”
John Henry Ngalamu, the commissioner of Mundri East County, defended the military’s presence. “The forces moving in Lakama’di are government and professional forces. They are there to protect civilians, and we are telling the communities to come back home,” Ngalamu told Radio Tamazuj.
He asserted that there were no reports of injuries or deaths and stated the government’s desire for peace, saying, “We don’t want to see rebels in the county.”
Contradicting the commissioner’s account, the local chief said civilians fled precisely because of the military’s actions and appealed to authorities to restore calm so people could return to their homes.
Maj. Gen. Phillip Madut Tong, the Western Equatoria state police commissioner, said his office had not yet received formal reports of the incident but pledged to follow up and ensure community protection.
Efforts by Radio Tamazuj to reach SSPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang, as well as representatives for the SPLA-IO and NAS, for comment were not immediately successful.