At least three men were killed and two others injured following a fight over a girl in Lowoi Payam of Torit County, Eastern Equatoria State, on Monday.
The fight took place when some youths from the Lohilo area eloped with a girl from Lohira village, a move that angered some youths from Lohira village.
Jokomina Selsio, a women leader in Lowoi Payam, told Radio Tamazuj that the two sides fought with pangas and guns.
“The community now is on the mountain. Reconciliation is needed because, like now, if the government does not intervene quickly, there will be another tension. And I am sure further tension will mount because the parents of the deceased are still in pain and those ones there are also ready. If there is a way, the guns they hold should be taken away from them,” she said.
Samuel Joseph, the paramount chief of Kudo Payam, said: “Those injured are currently in the hospital. The security forces wanted to intervene, but they are waiting for orders. They are all waiting for the county headquarters. Houses were destroyed and both sides were even using heavy weapons.”
Jimmy Killang, a civil society activist in Eastern Equatoria State, condemned the incident and called on the government to intervene and hold the perpetrators accountable.
“The incident is really a bad incident and we didn’t expect one day that Lowoi themselves will do this kind of thing, and we are sorry for what had happened. We want the government to intervene and solve the issue because innocent civilians from both sides escaped and are scattered in the bush,” he said.
“The government should intervene for these people to be buried and the perpetrators should be brought to book and I am also urging the communities to unite in finding a solution to the problem,” he added.
For his part, Eastern Equatoria State Police Commissioner Major General James Monday Enoka said police are unaware of any clashes in Torit County.
“It has not yet reached my desk. So, when it reaches us, the police, this is when the police commissioner will take a step. But if nobody comes, it means the information has not reached the official channel,” he said.