Civil society condemns Twic East County attack, calls for accountability

BOR — The INTREPID South Sudan (ISS), a civil society organization based in Jonglei, condemned the recent violent attack on the Biothagany fishing ground in Twic East County of Jonglei State on Saturday, calling for urgent government intervention to prevent further clashes.

The violence that erupted on June 4, 2025, between Ayual in Twic East County and Hol of Duk County left 14 people dead and several injured.

Bol Deng Bol, executive director for INTREPID South Sudan, said the attack has left at least 14 people dead, dozens of others wounded, and several still missing.

“We strongly condemn this act of violence. We believe that it is a buildup from the previous incidents that happened in the same location by the same communities,” Deng said in a statement extended to Sudans Post on Saturday.

Deng said there is no justification for continued use of violence, saying it ought to stop.

He urged communities involved in the violence to cease hostilities immediately and to consider dialogue to peacefully address the dispute while adhering to their respective cultural norms and practices of resolving disputes.

“We are urging the communities involved to stop fighting immediately and instead consider exploiting indigenous means of dispute resolution, long-built in their respective good cultural norms and practices. Violence should never be an option in all circumstances, including in this particular conflict.”

He further stated that violence should never be an option in any circumstance while urging the government to intervene to address the matter.

“We are urging the communities involved to stop fighting immediately and instead consider exploiting indigenous means of dispute resolution, long built into their respective good cultural norms and practices.”

“The government of Jonglei State is to blame for this particular endless violence. While it undertook the responsibility of addressing it from the onset, as any responsible government should.”

He added that “they have made no substantial progress two years later, and yet violence continues to advance and claim the lives of South Sudanese.”

In September 2023, clashes between the two rival communities in the Lang area left three people dead, including a prominent wrestler.

In June 2024, the fighting in the same area left 7 people dead and scores wounded, with the latest deadly incident happening this month, July 19, 2024, in the Biothagany area, leading to the death of 9 people.