Calm is returning to Maridi after violence erupted last week between armed cattle keepers and local residents. The county commissioner says three people have been arrested in connection with the violence and he is urging citizens who fled to return home.

An estimated ten people were killed in the recent events in Maridi and thousands of civilians fled the town.

Commissioner Wilson Thomas Yanga yesterday addressed civilians at Moku One Displaced center, briefing them on the resolutions of a two-days meeting with the state deputy governor and the SPLA Division Six commander who came from Juba.

He said the meeting resolved that three suspects who were arrested on suspicion of being behind the incident were taken to the state capital Yambio to face the law. The meeting also resolved that cattle keepers and their cattle should quit Maridi starting from Friday, 12 June. No cattle are to be slaughtered in the market.

Wilson further called on the civilians to come out from the bush and return to their homes.

Life in Maridi is gradually returning to normal; outside markets are operating and a few roadside shops in the town have also reopened. However, several homes were burnt and shops looted in the Line Zira residential area, the most affected area.

Photo: A cow killed in recent events in Maridi