His Majesty Akway Nyigwo Akway, the King of Anyuak. (-)

The King of Anyuak people in the Pibor Administrative Area has called on President Kiir to visit Pochalla County and address the tension resulting from a deadly conflict between the SSPDF and armed youth.

His Majesty Akwai Nyigwo Akwai’s call comes weeks after the local government in Pochalla requested the SSPDF headquarters to replace its commander in the area.

In early September, fierce fighting erupted between its South Sudan People’s Defense Force troops and armed youth leaving a dozen people dead and several others injured.

SSPDF said the fighting where it employed aerial bombardment occurred after local youth allegedly launched a brutal attack that breached the defensive trenches of the army’s barrack.

But local officials said the violence was triggered by the killing of native commander Colonel Joseph Okony by elements in the SSPDF after he refused redeployment to a new area.

His defiance was also linked with the escape from detention of one of his colleagues.

Speaking to Eye Radio in his native language, which was translated in Arabic by Prince Sunday Thwol Cham, His Majesty Nyigwo said there is still tension in the area.

“The situation is very bad because the government doesn’t have any reaction to what happened exactly in the Pochala lands,” King Nyigwo said.

“I am appealing to the president, that if your children fought, the solution will be with an elder person who is the guardian. Mr. President should visit the scene of the incident and see his children and now the fear is from both sides, those who are in the army barracks cannot move out and those youth also cannot move, we cannot meet together with the army.”

“We in the Pochalla lands as Anyuak authority, we are here all and waiting for the president to come to us and this is our position.”