Calm has returned to Yambio county in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria after days of clashes left many people dead and displaced thousands from their homes.
People are now moving freely in the town and the market has reopened for the first time since Thursday when fighting broke out on the south side of the town between an SPLM unit and the South Sudan National Liberation Movement militia.
“The market is open today. People are getting food, the grinding mill is open, and motorcycles are moving, so the situation is better from the last three days,” said one person in town.
The person said there were only two gunshots heard last night, in the area of the Episcopal Cathedral.
The person said most of the more than 2000 displaced people who fled their homes will remain tonight at the ADRA NGO compound next to the United Nations base where they have taken refuge since Thursday. If the situation maintains calm they will resume work normally and go home tomorrow, the person said.
Separately, shooting took place Friday night in Yambio town by the police station wounding one person, Eye Radio reported yesterday, while on Saturday morning the SPLA and SSNLM clashed on the town’s south side near Gangura payam, according to Yambio residents and an SSNLM source.
There were no casualties in the Saturday clash, a source within the SSNLM said. That source accused a “commando” unit of the SPLA of attacking their positions in Gangura, but said Governor Patrick Raphael Zamoi has been in contact with the SSNLM and told them not to shoot back at the soldiers so they withdrew into the bush.
Radio Tamazuj was unable to reach Governor Zamoi for comment.
The SSNLM, led by ex-SPLA officers from Western Equatoria, has been in talks to join the government since signing a preliminary peace deal in November 2015.
Photo: Displaced people who fled this week’s clashes in Yambio (UNHCR/R.Nuri)
Related:
More shooting in Yambio Saturday morning (23 Jan.)
Commander of Yambio rebel group confirmed wounded in clash (22 Jan.)
Governor: 7 killed in Yambio clashes Thursday (22 Jan.)
Updated: New fighting in Western Equatoria capital Yambio (21 Jan.)