Kumba urges gov’t to end ‘unprecedented’ communal Tambura violence

JUBA – South Sudan’s newly-appointed Speaker of the Reconstituted Transitional National Legislative Assembly Jemma Nunu Kumba has expressed serious concerns about the escalation of deadly inter-communal violence in Tambura County of Western Equatoria State and urged state authorities to curb the bloodshed and bring those responsible to justice.

On Saturday, renewed violence erupted in Tombura County after the body of an officer from the Criminal Investigation Department was found on the outskirts of Tombura. The renewed fighting left 17 people dead and displaced over 69,000 civilians mostly women and children.

On Tuesday, Former Commissioner of Tombura County, Babiro Charles Gbamis was gunned down. Between June and July, over 20 people were reportedly killed in separates attacks in Yubu, Akpa, Mabenge, Kpatanayo and other areas.

Speaking during the opening of the first session of the newly-formed parliament, Kumba said the ongoing killing in Tombura County of Western Equatoria State is getting out of control calling the government there to expeditiously contain the situation.

“As we speak and according to official police report coming to the August House, over 69,000 of our citizens has been displaced, and nearly 500 houses burnt down,” Nunu said during the opening of the first session of Transitional National Legislature in Juba on Monday.

She disclosed that many people are being killed on daily basis in Tombura County.

“Many have been killed on daily basis. The day before yesterday Saturday 17 bodies of people in the second fight were 43, out of which 17 bodies were collected in and around Tombura town and buried in mass,” she stated.

“Among 17 dead bodies, 5 were women and 8 children. Many bodies in the deserted countryside remained unburied. The problem in Tombura is unprecedented,” she added.

She also called upon the UN and other humanitarian agencies to urgently provide necessary humanitarian support to displaced persons to all the areas engulfed by violence.