South Sudan’s eastern Pibor region witnessed a tragic episode as 15 individuals, including a county commissioner, fell victim to gunfire by young men, marking a grim escalation in local violence.
The clash comes amidst mounting tensions ahead of a national election slated for the year’s end, underscoring the precarious state of affairs in the region.
Following a brutal civil war that ravaged the nation from 2013 to 2018, resulting in staggering casualties, South Sudan has struggled to stabilize.
Although a fragile peace has ostensibly endured among major factions, sporadic clashes persist among various armed factions. Observers speculate that the recent surge in violence may be linked, in part, to the impending electoral process, which aims to select new leadership post the current transitional government.
The tragic event unfolded on Tuesday as the commissioner of Boma County, while returning from a village visit, encountered the ambush that claimed 15 lives, including his own.
Abraham Kelang, the information minister of Greater Pibor Administrative Area, revealed that among the casualties were government officials, the deputy army commander of Boma, and the commissioner’s security detail.
Authorities suspect the assailants to be youths from the Anyuak community, who have been implicated in prior violent incidents, including the killing of another county commissioner and a security official in Pibor last year. However, officials from Pochalla County, where the Anyuak are predominant, could not be reached for immediate comment.
Boma County, predominantly inhabited by the Murle ethnic group, has been marred by periodic clashes between the Murle and Anyuak, as well as other neighboring ethnicities from Jonglei State, often motivated by disputes over cattle rustling.
This distressing event adds to a grim tally of violence in South Sudan, with over 150 lives lost in recent conflicts between rival factions in other parts of the country.
In light of these developments, the United States, Britain, and Norway issued a joint appeal on Tuesday, urging South Sudan’s leadership to take urgent measures to ensure a genuinely peaceful electoral process.
