Residents have fled Jonglei State’s Pigi County amid escalating violence, seeking refuge in areas near the Upper Nile state capital, Malakal, local officials said on Wednesday.
Pigi County, located on the northern edge of Jonglei State, sits at the confluence of the Sobat and Nile Rivers, just south of Malakal.
Suleiman Deng, Pigi County’s commissioner, told Radio Tamazuj that fighters from the SPLA-IO and the White Army militia have seized control of key areas, forcing thousands to flee.
“Our civilians have fled to Obel, Doleib Hill, and Panam around Malakal town,” Deng said. “The attackers are already in the county and they are camped in areas such as Dwong (Wunmaker) and Wunlith.”
He warned that an assault on the county headquarters appeared imminent, adding that government forces had withdrawn from Wunlith (Kaldak), leaving civilians to escape with little more than the clothes on their backs.
“The attackers came in a large number, and the SSPDF forces in Wunlith withdrew, forcing residents to flee without carrying food or clothes,” Deng stated.
Meanwhile, Monyngok Abiel, Pigi County’s Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) coordinator, said the humanitarian situation is deteriorating rapidly.
“Fighting over the past three days in Wunlith and Canal has forced residents to flee to Obel and Panam. A population of 14,000 is in dire straits in their displacement camps,” Abiel said.
The RRC has issued an urgent appeal for humanitarian aid to assist those displaced by the violence.