The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Thursday called upon all parties involved to demonstrate restraint following rising violence in Western Equatoria State’s Tambura County.
According to a press release, this month alone, UNMISS received reports of some 19 instances of inter-communal conflict in Tambura which led to 13 deaths two abductions, and 62 houses burnt.
Most recently, on 18 December, two separate incidents of gunfire occurred leading to the deaths of two people, the Mission said.
Guang Cong, Deputy Special Representative-Political, UNMISS, said these escalations in Tambura are alarming and must stop immediately.
“While UNMISS peacekeepers are patrolling day and night, doing their best to shore up community confidence and support humanitarian partners in providing urgent aid, there is widespread fear of further attacks and counterattacks,” he said. “This has led to an influx of people in the Internally Displaced Persons camp adjacent to the Mission’s temporary operating base, and several other similar camps.”
“In addition to reinforcing our troops in Tambura, we continue engaging with authorities, political actors, security personnel, community and faith-based leaders to defuse hostilities,” DSRSG Cong added.
He however clarified that the primary responsibility for protecting civilians lies with the Government of South Sudan.
“In this regard, we welcome the deployment of additional government security forces to Tambura,” Cong stated. “We also call for sustained interventions by the government to restore calm, including conducting investigations to identify perpetrators and bring them to justice, as well as creating conditions for communities to reconcile.”
The security situation in Tambura has remained fragile since intercommunal clashes first erupted in 2021, despite ongoing efforts by UNMISS as well as state and national authorities to resolve community differences through peace dialogues.