NBGS Authorities Decry Attacks On Civilians, Urge For Calm Among Residents

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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In a press conference held in Aweil this morning, government spokesperson Hon. Jackline Nyibol Benjamin Ajonga confirmed clashes with rebels in two counties of the state. She said the forces, who she accused of targeting civilians, were overrun by the SPLA, with heavy causalities on the rebel side.

She said: “This is to confirm the insecurity that has occurred in the past four days. Obviously, the country is facing political crisis after the December 15th failed coup attempt instigated by the former vice president Dr. Riek Machar Teny. Rebels loyal to the former vice president have defected from Mapel and passed via Wau and then proceeded to areas between Raja and Aweil.” 

She continued that the authorities had learned that the rebel forces had “passed through Aroyo in Aweil centre where they looted the payam hospital and possibly Africa Kongdai camp.” She stressed

The Spokesperson, who is also the state’s Hon. Minister of Information, Communication and Postal Services, further added that the rebels carried out merciless attacks on civilians as they crossed the territories of Aweil Centre and North, where they clashed with SPLA.

“Upon their movement from Aweil Centre to Aweil West, crossing Nyibuoli to North, they continued looting and arresting civilians, they met with SPLA forces and they were chased away from these areas”, confirmed the Minister.

She also confirmed another attack, carried out in Aweil West yesterday evening by a new group of rebels who she said had come following the route of the first batch.“Yesterday evening, another group passed through the route again, collided with SPLA but were repulsed”, she noted.

Further casualties were revealed to have occurred in the course of the first attack, whose bodies were discovered during the investigation: “lately we heard that along Aweil Centre, which is Aroyo, there are five more people who are found dead and even in the late discovery of their deaths, they couldn’t be identified”, confirmed the Hon. Minister.

These five casualties are in addition to the one confirmed dead, two abducted and five injured from the government side, which were initially reported. Aweil Civil Hospital Director, Garang Thomas Dhel, reported: “Actually, on that day we received five cases, four militants and one civilian; [the] four militants were males and the civilian is female”. 

Dr. Garang continued: “Fortunately, all cases were stable cases. There were no deep wounds, they were superficial injuries. Hopefully we dealt with them; we were dressed as normal and fortunately also on the second day they were discharged in the morning back to their units.” 

The surviving civilian, 11 year-old Achol Wol, remains under treatment at Aweil civil Hospital. She explained what happens to her: “We were hiding in our farmyard; I didn’t see where the bullet came from as there were crossfire shootings. The pain has reduced, it was paining before but I took some tablets, the pain reduced.”

The Hon. Minister confirmed the displacement of some residents, whose villages witnessed fighting. She said the number displaced is yet to be verified. “Civilians who were at the areas where the attacks took place had moved downward to avoid hearing this and even children are not good to hear the gunshots.” 

The Spokesperson urged the state’s civilian population to remain calm: “The message is that we don’t want people to panic so much, I want to assure our civilians that our gallant forces are doing their best and the fighting is somewhere between Aweil West and North and we have our SPLA in that area who are in control over there.” She said.
 
This is the seventh day of rebel attacks in Aweil, since they reportedly began attacking on Thursday last week.

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