At least 127 people were killed in clashes between South Sudan security forces and armed civilians in the north-central Warrap state, the South Sudan military said on Wednesday, reported All Africa. Over 30 others were injured over the weekend when soldiers clashed with civilians refusing to be disarmed as part of a peace agreement.
The violence is believed to have erupted on Saturday when a young man was arrested after he failed to obey an order by security forces to stop and be checked. The man’s relatives came to his rescue forcing the security officers to open fire on the civilians in the market.
The violence quickly spread to nearby South Sudan villages, with armed civilians attacking an army base in the nearby town of Romich on Monday morning, according to army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang. Several shops were reportedly looted and some shops were burned to the ground.
On Tuesday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the world body’s peacekeeping mission in South Sudan reported that the violence was sparked by a disagreement over a disarmament exercise being conducted in the area.
The disarmament of civilians is part of the most recent peace agreement signed between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and rival Riek Machar, who was appointed vice president in February. The two leaders agreed to form a government of national unity in which both hold key leadership positions.
Frequent inter-tribal clashes in the region prompted the South Sudan government to conduct a civilian disarmament exercise.
Dujarric said a UN peacekeeping patrol was heading to the affected area to assess the security situation.
He said the UN peacekeeping mission is urging all those involved in the violence to lay down their weapons and to help restore calm for the sake of their communities. He added the mission is engaging political and community leaders and will support local reconciliation and peace-building efforts to prevent further conflict in South Sudan.
