A senior army commander said the security situation in Fashoda County of Upper Nile State was under control and reassured the public that the situation was calm.
Speaking to reporters in Malakal town on Monday, Maj. Gen. Moses Makol Ajang, the SSPDF commander of Division 2, said government forces managed to control the situation after their deployment, following attacks on civilians by an armed group from Jonglei State.
“When the forces received orders to intervene in the fighting in Fashoda, the situation returned to normal, and the attackers returned to where they came from,” Ajang said.
“Since the incidents that happened last month, Fashoda did not again witness any insecurity. The situation is normal,” he added.
The commander said the military is ready to provide security to the civilians in Fashoda.
Meanwhile, Fashoda County Commissioner Joseph Aban Odhong said the army is in control and that the security situation in the area had improved.
“The general security situation in Fashoda is calm, but the displaced people have not yet gone back to their villages,” he said. “The displaced people have received some assistance, and we are now registering them to start distributing food.”
Violence in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state since August 2022 displaced over 20,000, United Nations agencies said last month.
Violence is rampant in parts of South Sudan, where clashes triggered by local disputes often turn deadly.