Four people were reportedly killed and six injured in the disputed border area of Kiir Adem on Sunday in attacks by Sudanese fighters.
One civilian was amongst the dead while all others killed and injured were members of the South Sudanese police force.
The County Commissioner for Northern Bahr el–Ghazal state, Kuot Deng Kuot, told Radio Tamazuj that Sudanese reserve auxiliary forces carried out the attack alongside Reizegat militias.
Kiir Adem, as part of a larger border stretch, has been demilitarized under an agreement between South Sudan and Sudan resulting in the full withdrawal of SPLA troops although some police officers were reportedly left to protect civilians in the area.
Kuot claimed that the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) have objected to the presence of any South Sudanese police in the area.
“We have three people as well as a civilian killed at New site area. They [the Sudanese fighters] are composed of Abu-Tahir’s and Reizegat militia forces and they are saying that they don’t want the present of police forces in the area, not even in Majak Gol or in Gok Machar and that those areas have been ruled by international community to be their land,” the county commissioner reported.
Explaining the police presence, he added, “Since the SPLA military forces were withdrew from the area we have deployed some police forces there in order to protect both the two civilians groups as the area is demilitarized and only the police forces are to be present in it.”
Radio Tamazuj has not been able to verify this news independently.
Photo: Northern Bahr el-Ghazal (Wikipedia)