South Sudan’s government said it is very keen on taking necessary measures to protect civilians in areas experiencing insecurity in the country.

Deadly fighting between rival armed groups in parts of the country has been ongoing since mid-August, leading to massive displacement of civilians.

Addressing foreign diplomats in Juba on Friday, Deng Dau Deng, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the transitional government does not condone violence in any part of the country, adding that they are exerting efforts to protect the civilians caught up in fighting in Upper Nile State, parts of Jonglei State and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area. 

 “Since early September and October, the government of South Sudan has been engaging in finding an amicable solution to the conflict in Upper Nile and also Jonglei state through the envisioned dispatch of high-level political leaders to those areas to dialogue on the root causes of the conflict and secure the peace and stability,” he said.

“You have seen members of the assembly and members of the government travelling together to Upper Nile to address and to talk on the causes of the conflict that erupted in areas of Panyikang, Tonga, Fashoda and other places. The government has been very committed in that part of our country,” Dau said.

He noted that the conflict in Upper Nile was an internal dispute between the SPLM-IO Kit-Gwang faction of General Simon Gatwech and the Agwelek forces of General Johnson Olony.

“While the conflict in Jonglei State and greater Pibor Administrative Area came because of issues of grazing land, child abduction and cattle raiding that normally intensifies during the dry season,” he said.

 “The recent movement of youths from three areas that has been converging to the area of greater Pibor, of course, the government has condemned this, and the government has stopped the youths, and whatever that happens is described as criminality that is being done at that level,” he added.