At least one person was shot dead and another was wounded in clashes between Blue Nile refugees and the host community in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state, just days after another similar clash.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, Maban County Commissioner James Basha alleged that an armed group of over 90 individuals from the Ingessana refugees attacked Kango village again, resulting in a melee between villagers and the attackers.

“In that incident at least one person from the host community was killed and another young man of 27 years old was wounded and then taken to the hospital for treatment,” he said.

The assailants who were using heavy guns burned over 70 houses to ashes and destroyed property of the local citizens in Kango village, he explained, adding that he also found an unexploded RPG that he would keep as evidence.

The commissioner claimed the local citizens were just defending themselves with sticks, spears and three guns. The incident caused fear among the locals and the refugees who ran into the bush, according to Basha.

Meanwhile, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army has stationed troops in the area to create a buffer zone between the warring communities. 

“This hostile group apparently intends to tarnish the strong relationships between Maban community and the Blue Nile refugees,” said the Commissioner.

Upper Nile’s Maban County accommodates about 120,000 refugees from Sudan’s Blue Nile State since war erupted there in September 2011 between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North.

Besides the local problems in Maban County, there are concerns that insecurity could spill over from other parts of Upper Nile State, since the neighbouring oil areas Adar and Paloich are reported to be under threat from opposition forces.

Food shortage

Food shortages are reported at the refugee camps in Maban County. One of the refugee leaders told Radio Tamazuj that the World Food Programme and UNHCR held a meeting with camp representatives to discuss the food distribution, which included this month only cooking oil and lentils.

The source said that insecurity delayed the transport of the food from Ethiopia to South Sudan. “All the refugee camps, in Doro, Jendrassa, Kaya and Yusif Batil, are completely empty of sorghum up till now,” he said.

Health complaints in Jendrasa

Meanwhile, refugees in Jendrasa camp expressed concerns about the health care situation. The refugees complain that patients from the camp have to be referred to an IMC health centre in Yusuf Batil camp.

Sarah Omer, a midwife in Maban County, told Radio Tamazuj that the IMC clinic in Jendrasa camp experienced shortages of medical staff and medicines.

“We are faced with a burden of problems as our health centre lacks doctors, medicines and other necessary medical facilities – lives of dozens of mothers are threatened in light of the persisting lack of medicines and shortage of doctors,” she said.

"Lactating mothers and pregnant women are suffering from the poor health care by the health centre, a matter which forces doctors to refer the patients to Yusuf Batil camp," she explained.

Omer stated that transporting referred patients ‘three hours’ by car from Jendrassa to Yusuf Batil was bad for them because travel can increase the risks faced by sick people. The midwife called on the authorities concerned to support the provision of better health services in the camp.

File photo: A refugee speaks to Radio Tamazuj in Yusuf Batil camp

Related coverage:

5 wounded in fighting between refugees and Maban community (3 March)