At least 11 civilians have been killed and three wounded in an attack on Kworijik near Juba in Central Equatoria State, according to Northern Bari Payam chief James Yacoub, who blamed the attack on Mundari raiders from neighboring Terekeka County.
The attack took place on Sunday and clashes continued until Tuesday. Multiple sources said the first attack took place while Vice President James Wani Igga was at the village attending prayers, though there are no clear indications that he was targeted.
Chief James blamed herders from Terekeka County for the attack saying they often come to Kworijik area and destroy crops. He told Radio Tamazuj there were about 50 attackers, some of whom were wearing military uniforms and others using weapons such as PKM machine guns.
A woman from the area told Radio Tamazuj, “This happened on Sunday at around 1:00 while we were at prayers. Wani Igga was there, we were listening to the word of the Lord. Then we began to hear gunfire and weapons and the sounds of death,” she said. Another attack came the next morning at around 10:00, she said.
Another source, a villager, said that raiders targeted their cattle.
For his part, the former mayor of Juba Al Haj Baballah accused the state government of not doing enough to contain the situation, pointing out the travel time between the village and Juba is only about 15 minutes. He said that the ‘777’ unit was dispatched to the area but did not have orders to intervene.
Baballah said he traveled to the village and witnessed homes on fire and people fleeing. He demanded that the government provide security to citizens. He also pointed to the lack of reconciliation events between Mundari and Bari tribes in the post-CPA years.
Meanwhile, the representative of the constituency in the legislative assembly, Paul Longale Jumi, said it was not clear the motive for the attack. “This is now the second or the third time and we don’t know exactly what the motive is, but what we are now concerned about is now the population,” he said, referring to the displaced citizens.
File photo