Dozens killed as Murle armed youth attack villages in Akobo
A sketch map of South Sudan featuring the country’s Jonglei state, in red (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
May 16, 2020 (SSNN) – Dozens of people have been killed after armed youth from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area attacked a number of villages in Jonglei’s Greater Akobo, residents there said this afternoon.
“There was an attack this morning. The attackers come from Murle areas and many people have been killed and the fighting has since subsidized. I don’t know if it will continue overnight,” one resident told South Sudan News Now (SSNN) from Pieri.
Another source in Pieri said that attack took place at dawn this morning and it targeted areas of Pieri, Dhorgan-well and Milkie and said that fighting was however still ongoing and casualties have not yet been identified.
Attack condemned
In reaction, a Lou-Nuer community leader said in a statement that they condemns the attack which he said was carried on their areas by members of the Murle youth against their villages and confirmed that fighting was taking place and reinforcements were being made.
“This morning at 6:00 AM East Africa local time, unidentified group of armed youth from Pibor Administrative Area Attack[ed] Pieri Payam, Dhorgan-well Boma and Milkie Boma respectively. As I write the fighting is ongoing toward Guanchat. Pieri, was reportedly raced down and burn to the ground by traitors,” the community leader said in a statement extended to South Sudan News.
He said that reinforcements “haver already arrived at the scene from Waat, Yuai and Motot perhaps white Army repulsed the attackers back towards Pieri, though it’s still fierce.”
The statement condemned the attack and urged the revitalized unity government in Juba to address the issue and bring David Yau Yau, former governor of Buma, who they accused of spearheading the attack to justice.
“We condemned this barbaric attack in the strongest term and we call up on the already formed Government of National Unity to summon the King of Mafia network David Yau-Yau to hold full responsibility for engineering and supplying Murle armed youth with weapons in order to attack Uror Duk, Nyirol and Akoba,” the statement said.
“Yau- Yau was in Pibor last month busy distributing ammunition and light weapons but was airlifted to Juba after his devilish activities were discovered by the Government. This a lone is an evidence which clearly spell that he is one behind the destruction in great Jonglei Region,” the statement further added.
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