Tambura County in Western Equatoria State is once again the epicenter of deadly violence, with alarming reports of systematic killings, rape, looting, and forced displacement targeting certain community.
Over the past week, villages such as Sanakpuru, Bangaru, Zangia, Kutu, and Nabaria have come under attack, forcing hundreds to flee into the forests without food, shelter, or medical support. Local and national civil society leaders have now raised urgent calls for government intervention and international response to end the bloodshed.
The Executive Director of SEPO, Edmond Yakani, has strongly condemned the violence, describing it as a politically engineered campaign aimed at destabilizing the region and dividing communities along ethnic lines.
According to Yakani, powerful individuals within the political and military establishments are behind the atrocities, using state resources and influence to fuel targeted attacks on innocent civilians.
“This situation in Tombura is engineered and executed by powerful individuals who are well known within political and military circles,” Yakani stated. “These actors are using state structures and resources to target innocent civilians for political gain, and our citizens are paying the price in silence.”
Yakani further noted that food has been used as a weapon of war, with survivors forced to endure starvation as they flee violence.
He appealed directly to President Salva Kiir to take immediate and decisive action against those responsible, emphasizing that the violence requires “aggressive response” from the government to protect the lives of the innocent.
A Balanda youth leader also spoke out, accusing forces loyal to James Nando of leading the attacks under the protection of the state and Tombura County top leaderships.
Oliver Dinisio, Tombura County Youth leader rejected the claim that the violence is aimed at SPLM-IO supporters, calling it a false narrative used to justify tribal-based killings.
“It is not true that all Balanda people support SPLM-IO. This justification for killing civilians is baseless and only fuels tribal hatred,” Oliver said.
The community has also accused the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) of bias, claiming that its Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Tambura shelters only members from one community, while survivors of a particular community are left exposed to further attacks.
There are also allaged reports that armed Azande militias are using the PoC site as a base for launching assaults, allegations that, if true, violate the mission’s neutrality.
The Balanda community is calling for the removal of complicit local leaders, the redeployment of neutral forces, a thorough investigation into the role of UNMISS in Tambura, and an immediate intervention by President Kiir to restore peace and justice.
