CEPO Executive Director Edmund Yakani. (Photo: Awan Moses/Eye Radio).

A civil society activist has strongly condemned acts of violence and alleged human rights violations in Tambura County in Western Equatoria State, citing the killing of an elderly woman in Source Yubu Payam.

According to the husband of the deceased, he witnessed his wife, Lina Nyesi, being severely beaten by members of the organized forces who had just returned from clashes with armed bandits, during which a serviceman was killed on Christmas Day.

The widower of the deceased woman – whom we choose to identify only as Moses and was also briefly taken for questioning – narrated that his wife Lina Nyesi was beaten until she died by the alleged soldiers.

“When they came, they saw her and asked her who was running because there was one young man who came to check on me whether I had been arrested or not,” he narrated.

“They saw the young man at home, so the soldiers came after he ran away and started beating her while I was being brought because they had arrested me. I told them she was my wife and let them leave her. They could not listen, and they told her to sit down.”

“After they left her, I knew they had beaten her badly and she started to shake, and I told them she had died I came closer to her to try to hold her up and they wanted to beat me.”

When contacted, the SSPDF leadership in Tambura was not immediately available for comment on the accusations.

Commenting on the incident, Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, criticized the killing of the woman, adding that such actions are unacceptable.

He called on the security leadership in Tambura to ensure accountability for such incidents and avoid taking revenge on vulnerable civilians.

“CEPO, has strongly condemned the culture of deadly violence and violation of human rights in isolated, actually this is a killing that is taking place in Tambura County,” Yakani said.

“I’m aware that on 26, an SSPDF soldier was killed by unknown gunmen which we strongly condemn. This soldier was killed at a moment when he was involved in the deliverance of humanitarian services.”

“This resulted in the return of SSPDF to beat to death an unarmed civilian woman in Saba Miles in Source-Yubu. We strongly condemn it and I want to appeal to the leadership of SSPDF and there’s no need for us to take revenge action against our civilian population.”

However, the state minister of information maintained that the security situation in Tambura is calm despite the incident.

Dominic Usini termed the incident as isolated and said the newly deployed forces have brought relative calm and peace to the region, ensuring that security is maintained and allowing residents to celebrate Christmas without fear.

“The situation in Tambura is under control despite what people see or say. Those who are saying something contrary might not be in the town. The incident occurred on the road from Tambura to Source-Yubu, one of the payams.”

“It is 24 miles away from Tambura centre. So that’s what happened. It is seven miles from that place to Source-Yubu, not Tambura. And from Tambura to that place is 24 miles it is an isolated accident that happened out of the town.”