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TONJ NORTH - 29 Jun 2020

Communal fighting in Warrap leaves 32 dead

A man carrying a gun walks past cattle at Kirgui village in Udier. (Simon Maina, AFP)
A man carrying a gun walks past cattle at Kirgui village in Udier. (Simon Maina, AFP)

 

At least 32 people were killed in inter-communal violence in Tonj North County of South Sudan’s Warrap State, authorities said on Monday.

Violence flared up on June 26 between the Apuk Padoc and Atok Buk communities, which are both from Tonj North, the secretary-general of the now-defunct Tonj State told Radio Tamazuj.

"32 people were killed from both sides, 7 others wounded and two villages were burned down," Gabriel Awan said. "The violence started on Friday and continued until Sunday."

The administrator said the fresh clashes seem to have been triggered by a retaliation after a man from Apuk Padoc was allegedly beaten to death by members of the Atok Buk community in the town of Awul on May 27.

He disclosed that the fighting concentrated in and around the villages of Agany and Anyibuth, but has now died down. He said state authorities have dispatched security forces to hotspots in the area to restore calm.

According to reports, the routine of inter-communal clashes in many parts of the country prevails due to the lack of an efficient justice system.

Last week, the United Nations mission in South Sudan said escalating inter-communal conflicts could undermine the implementation of the peace agreement.