Three wounded in Jonglei’s Pochalla clashes

July 15, 2015 (BOR) – At least three policemen were reportedly injured in Tuesday’s fighting believed to have been instigated by politicians and local leaders in Pochalla town of South Sudan’s Jonglei state.

John Joseph Abulla, a member of parliament representing Pochalla south in Jonglei state assembly blamed the incident on his colleagues Botrus Ochalla and the state governor’s advisor for cooperatives and rural development, Ogato Cham.

Both Ochalla and Cham hail from Pochall north county.

Addressing reporters on Wednesday, Abulla said the king of Anuak community, Agatta Akwai, organised a meeting in the capital, Juba and allegedly ordered his guards to attack and forcefully release some suspects detained in Pochalla town.

The suspects had been arrested after last month’s fighting, in which a guard working for the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) was killed in Pochalla town.

He however said the Anuak king acted with support from some of the area politicians.

When Pochalla county was divided into counties following the May 2014 agreement between David Yauyau and the government, the old Pochalla town remained as the town for Pochalla south and Pochalla north county created its new headquarters at Ajobe.

“The fighting erupted at 4:30 up to 7:00 pm [local time]. The king’s guards went back and regrouped themselves but were defeated. I think they will resume fighting tomorrow. They want to release the people who were involved in the killing of the police. Now, three police are wounded, because they were fighting with police”, said Abulla.

Sam David, the Greater Pibor information minister, said he was yet to get full details on what happened, but confirmed that the incident resulted from tension between people loyal to the Greater Pibor administration and Anuak Kingdom extremists.

“We were to sit this evening for urgent meeting about Pochalla fighting, this did not happen. We had that David Yauyau had decision with Anuak King in Juba but we don’t know what their discussion was all about”, he told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

He said the incident was a political issue between Anuak politicians loyal to the Greater Pibor Area Administration and those who believe in the monarchy leadership of the king.

(ST)