JUBA-The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Thursday called government of national unity to urgently intervene to quell rising tension in Tambura County of Western Equatoria State.
The call came a day after the UNMISS received reports of incidents of intercommunal conflict in Tambura.
The violence left 13 people killed, two abducted and 62 houses burnt.
Most recently, on 18 December, two separate incidents of gunfire occurred leading to the deaths of two people.
Guang Cong, Deputy Special Representative-Political urged all involved parties to demonstrate restraint following rising violence in the Tambura region of Western Equatoria state.
“These escalations in Tambura are alarming and must stop immediately,” Guang said in statement issued on Thursday.
Guang said the violence led to an influx of people in the Internally Displaced Persons camp adjacent to the Mission’s temporary operating base, and several other similar camps.
“While UNMISS peacekeepers are patrolling day and night, doing their best to shore up community confidence and support humanitarian partners in providing urgent aid, there is widespread fear of further attacks and counter attacks,” he said.
“In addition to reinforcing our troops in Tambura, we continue engaging with authorities, political actors, security personnel, community and faith-based leaders to defuse hostilities. However, the primary responsibility for protecting civilians lies with the Government of South Sudan.”
He welcomed the recent deployment of additional government security forces to Tambura to quell the tension.
“In this regard, we welcome the deployment of additional government security forces to Tambura. We also call for sustained interventions by the Government to restore calm, including conducting investigations to identify perpetrators and bring them to justice, as well as creating conditions for communities to reconcile,” he stated.
He said security situation in Tambura remains fragile since intercommunal clashes first erupted in 2021.
According to him, the situation is worsening despite ongoing efforts by UNMISS as well as state and national authorities to resolve community differences through peace dialogues.
