Sudan’s W. Equatoria governor calls for calm after Clashes
Nov 16, 2005 (YAMBIO) — The governor of Western Equatoria State, Patric Zamoi, has strongly appealed for calm in Yambio town following a shootout and burning of some houses on Monday 14 November by some SPLA soldiers.
Clashes between communities in the southwestern Sudanese state of Western Equatoria have left several people dead and forced humanitarian agencies to evacuate international staff.
In a press statement to the Nairobi based Sudan Radio Service, governor Zamoi said that the situation is not out of hand. He said efforts are done to contain troubles and restore confidence among population.
Zamoi said “We have been persuading them, talking to them, cooling them down, that there is no need for arms at the moment. We have already signed peace and we want to stay in peace. If there is any problem we’ll solve it by dialogue.”
The governor of Western Equatoria yesterday called an emergency meeting with elders from the Dinka of Bahr el Ghazal and Azande communities to contain the situation.
The fighting erupted on Monday between the Dinka and the Zande, who form the majority of the population in the Yambio region near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, leading to the looting and burning of the UN health agency’s compound.
Those involved in the conflict fired assault rifles and torched homes. Aid workers, Associated Press news agency reported, saw several dead bodies in the town, but no information on the exact number of casualties was yet available.
The Sudanese head of an agriculture training centre that is affiliated with the NGO Catholic Relief Services was killed as his vehicle was attacked when he tried to enter Yambio town, coming from the nearby town of Nzara.
According to IRIN, the pastoralist Bor Dinka were displaced during Sudan’s 21-year civil war and settled in the region inhabited by agriculturalist Zande. Tensions have been rising between the two ethnic groups, a source in the region explained, following the decision by Bor Dinka to stay rather than go back to their area of origin in Jonglei State.
(ST)