Relative peace, calm, and stability have returned to the border town of Pochalla along the South Sudan-Ethiopia border after two months of unrest, which left the town deserted.
Since 18 September, Pochalla, in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), has been a scene of intermittent clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and Anyuak civilians. The clashes, which were triggered by the killing of the former Pochalla SSPDF commander, Col. Okony Okwom Othow, at his residence by fellow SSPDF soldiers, saw tens of thousands of residents displaced to neighboring Ethiopia.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, Acting Pochalla County Commissioner Owety Olung said residents are gradually returning to their homes following the deployment of security forces from Juba.
“A committee made up of National Security Services (NSS), Military Intelligence, and SSPDF officers have been engaging the community in a series of meetings for the last two weeks,” he revealed. “This resulted in the deployment of a new SSPDF commander with a battalion, a force of 29 police officers, and some NSS agents from Juba, while the former SSPDF commander who created the unrest was removed along with his soldiers. Pochalla is now calm, with our youth and newly deployed SSPDF forces working hand in hand. Some civilians have started returning since last week.”
“What remains to be addressed is the political aspect of this unrest because no civil servants have been getting their salaries for the last two years in Pochalla,” Commissioner Olung added.
While addressing residents in Pochalla, Col. Joseph Clement Wani Konga, the new Pochalla SSPDF commander, apologized for the deadly violence and vowed that he was ready to work with Anyuak civilians to restore peace in the area and beyond.
“My dad was happy that I was deployed here because you are peaceful people. Firstly, as a leader in this country, I want to apologize for what happened because lives were lost. However, I promise you that nothing bad will ever happen under my leadership,” he said. “I just want your cooperation because the army and civilians are one entity. Civilians should return home because what happened was political and we will not be part of such politics.”
For his part, Juma Odiel, the acting program manager for NGO Tear Fund in Pochalla, confirmed that residents had started returning to their homes in hundreds amidst a dire humanitarian situation and that relevant UN agencies were being engaged so that a needs assessment is conducted.