W. Equatoria authorities say Ezo county calm after clashes

November 19, 2015 (JUBA) – The caretaker governor of South Sudan’s Western Equatoria state has described as “normal” the security situation in Ezo county after the army clashed with armed groups of youth who entered a refugee camp in the area.

“The security situation in Ezo is calm and normal. Civilians who fled their homes after random shooting in town have started returning. I have spoken to the county commissioner and he said everything was getting back to normal. He met the commander of our SPLA [Sudan People’s Liberation Army] forces in the area and they discussed the way they could send out together a message of assurance of calm and control of the security situation in local languages so that the civilians can now return to their homes”, Patrick Raphael Zamoi said Thursday.

Zamoi said he was yet to receive a detailed report about the general security situation in Ezo from the county commissioner, including reports on those who were killed.

The Ezo county commissioner, Luciano Bakinde separately told Sudan Tribune that a fierce fight broke out Wednesday morning and continued until 2pm [local time].

He said the clash, in which three people died and two others were injured, as having resulted from confrontations between a group of armed youth and the national army.

One civilian, a police officer and solder were killed, the commissioner said.

“A government soldier was also shot dead during a clash in which another civilian sustained injury when fighting erupted between the two groups in the town when SPLA forces tried to intervene and rescue the situation in the refugee when it came under attack by armed local youth a group which broke into the camp to steal food items in storages belonging to Refugee Affairs Commission in the area,” further disclosed Bekinde.

He however described as good relations between the military and civilians.

“Our relations with the army are good. There is no problem. The army commander here is friendly. He comes to me and I go to him. When this incident happened, I called him and he came to me. He even wanted to escort me to the refugee camp to calm down the situation, but I told him to only recall the soldiers and I went to the camp to talk to the refugees and people from the refugee affairs commission,” said the commissioner.

“So there is no problem between the army, local authorities and even civilians”, he added.

(ST)