A senior commander of the SPLA-IO in Western Bahr el Ghazal State, Major General Majok Tawal-Tawal, has called on government forces to cease attacking both his forces and civilians in Jur River County.
Fighting erupted last week in Jur River, involving government security forces and opposition SPLA-IO fighters, sparked by a dispute over an illegal checkpoint in Kubri-Ngab. In the aftermath, there have been reports of continued attacks, including the burning of civilian homes, looting, and the arbitrary arrest of young people.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Sunday evening, General Tawal-Tawal, who is responsible for the Watho-Lelo area in Jur River County, urged government forces to halt the fighting and withdraw, emphasizing that his forces are opposed to the war.
“My message to the government of South Sudan in Juba and Wau is that the incident in Jur River, particularly in Kubri-Ngab, should not escalate into a bigger problem,” Tawal-Tawal said.
“The officer sent by the government had a disagreement with our soldiers over uniforms, not the checkpoint. If misunderstandings occur among soldiers, they should be resolved through dialogue, not violence. We don’t want our civilians to suffer,” he added.
The senior officer further stated that he had ordered his forces not to retaliate against government troops. “I have instructed my forces not to retaliate because the misunderstanding was confined to the soldiers. I don’t want this problem to escalate involving all the forces,” he explained.
Tawal-Tawal also highlighted the displacement of civilians, many of whom have fled their homes and sought refuge in nearby forests.
“Many civilians have fled Kubri-Ngab and Barwol. The cattle keepers and farmers, about 1,000 people, are with me,” he said. “I do not want any further conflict in Baggari, Bazia, or Jur River. I have told the SPLA-IO forces not to fire at government forces because I want peace.”
Efforts to reach commanders of the government forces in the area for comment were unsuccessful.
In response to the rising insecurity in Western Bahr el Ghazal, Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress (CEPO), expressed deep concern about the situation and called for dialogue between both sides.
“Also, the unlawful arrests and detentions recently reported in Western Bahr el Ghazal, including the cases involving the state security advisor and the Jur River County commissioner, are disturbing. Transparency and accountability from the government are urgently needed to address these violations,” Yakani stated. “CEPO strongly condemns the unlawful arrest and detention of individuals without a warrant. This practice undermines the rule of law and violates human rights. The detained individuals should either be brought to court if they have violated the law or released if they have not,” he concluded.