Fresh clashes have broken out in Likuangole County of the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), days after armed youth from Jonglei State started retreating to their areas, local officials said.

The escalating violence started on Christmas Eve following an attack on Bich-Bich village of the greater Pibor area by an armed youth group from Jonglei State.

Early this week, GPAA officials reported that clashes were scaling down as the armed youth started withdrawing.

However, speaking to Radio Tamazuj Friday, Simon Peter Ajeny, the GPAA local government minister, said: “As Jonglei youth started withdrawing from parts of Gumuruk, another group started attacking Likuangole County. The attack started two days ago in Lokirimach Payam. They proceeded to an area called Nyang where fighting is ongoing.”

The local government minister, however, said details of the fighting are still scanty. He blamed the latest attacks on armed youth from Jonglei State and Ethiopia’s Gambella region.

“We don’t have details about the losses in Likuangole. Meanwhile, in Gumuruk, as we reported, the remaining group of the attacking youth are burning villages in Gumuruk as they retreat,” he said.

Radio Tamazuj could not independently verify the alleged involvement of armed youth from neighbouring Ethiopia in the fighting.

Meanwhile, Korok Logilo, a Pibor community leader, called on the national government to intervene, saying violence was escalating.

“As we speak, fresh attacks are still ongoing in our territories. What is going on now is not cattle raids but an invasion of Murle lands, and we will be defending it as a community,” he said.

For his part, John Samuel Manyuon, the Jonglei State information minister, said they are yet to verify reports of fresh fighting in the greater Pibor.

“Currently, we only heard of it based on yesterday’s report from the GPAA government. However, we have yet to verify this information because the only youth we know are the ones retreating to Jonglei. That fresh attack we do not know much about it. What we know are the youth who are retreating, and that’s why on Thursday, we were able to recover six children,” he concluded.