SPLA forces in Upper Nile’s Fashoda County have agreed to stay apart after tension developed between the head of the command Thomas Tut and his deputy John Arop.

Soldiers under the command of the two men separated into two camps on 25 December, causing many residents to flee to the bush for fear there would be fighting.

An eyewitness in the county tells Radio Tamazuj the tensions were sparked when the Nuer commander Thomas Tut quit the town with some soldiers of his tribe, causing people to believe that he was defecting.

“He said that he was going to stay out of the town for peace and if the situation calms then he will return back,” explained the witness.

The witness further claimed that the situation was tense and the authorities managed the cool it down

Former rebels in the middle

Johnson Olony, the former SSLA rebel commander, has sought to mediate a peace between the two SPLA camps in Fashoda area, according to the county information secretary. Many civilians are returning to Fashoda since yesterday, said the official.

He further added that some SSLA forces have interposed themselves between the forces of Thomas Tut and the ones of Arop, to help prevent clashes and defuse tensions.

“The two sides are responding to peace and they are staying in their positions in order to defuse tension,” he said.

Radio Tamazuj was unable to confirm from the commanders themselves whether this was the case. 

File photo: A boat on the Nile near Fashoda, October 2013 (Radio Tamazuj)