BOR — Fresh intercommunal violence in South Sudan’s Jonglei State has left more than a dozen people feared dead and thousands displaced, local officials confirmed on Monday. The clashes, centered on the disputed Miny fishing island, broke out between communities from Twic East and Duk counties.
The conflict, which has simmered for three years, escalated on May 6 when armed attackers launched a nighttime assault on the island. Due to a lack of telecommunications network in the remote swampy region, news of the casualties only reached state authorities over the weekend.
“We only learned of the incident after receiving a wounded man on Saturday,” James Magok, the Commissioner of Twic East County, told reporters.
“Many people are still missing; we fear they may be hiding in the marshes or have succumbed to their injuries.”
Bol Deng Bol, chairperson of the Jonglei Civil Society Network, criticized the government’s “lack of genuine progress” in resolving the land and water disputes.
“Lives and livelihoods are being destroyed over a fishing ground that the state government promised to demarcate years ago,” he said.
The violence highlights the fragility of South Sudan’s internal security even as its leadership engages in regional diplomacy. President Salva Kiir arrived in Kampala on Monday to attend the inauguration of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, a key ally in the South Sudanese peace process.
The displacement of approximately 9,000 people from the latest clashes is expected to put further strain on humanitarian agencies already struggling with the influx of refugees from the ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan.
