Police Spokesperson Maj. Elijah Mabor. (Photo: Yang Ater).

Five people were killed and four others wounded on Friday during an intra-sectional violence in Rumbek Central County of Lakes State, the police said.

Lakes police spokesperson, Maj. Elijah Mabor Makuach, said fighting involving armed youth from Anin subsection of the Pakam Community erupted in Amer village of Rumbek Central County and spread to nearby Mathiang village.

Maj. Makuac said three people were killed on spot in the morning before the death toll rose to five with four others sustaining bullet wounds.

“In fact this morning, we received information that fighting erupted between two sub clans of Anin section of Rumbek North County residing here in Rumbek central county”, he said.

“The fighting took place at Amer village and it spread up to Mathiang village. The first information report we received was that 3 people were killed and 3 others were wounded.”

“But in the afternoon, we received another information from our forces we sent for intervention that the death tolls raised from 3-5 people killed and 4 others wounded.”

Maj. Makuac said the situation returned to normalcy after security forces managed to contain the fighting and disperse both sides on Friday evening.

“Our forces are still on the ground and they have reported back that they have managed to dispersed the warring parties. So, the security situation has just returned to normal”.

He said police investigation found that the ethnic violence was a revenge attack for a man who was shot two years ago and had been in critical condition until he succumbed to his wounds the night before the fighting.

Makuac narrated that after the man’s death, his relatives immediately grabbed their guns and staged a revenge attack.

The police official appealed to the state youth to refrain from all forms of violence including revenge attacks, and instead embrace legal means to jet justice.

“It is not good and cannot take us anywhere and we better not to take any law into our own hands we better follow the law. If you are convinced that some body has killed your loved ones, you better open a case to pursue the accused into court such that your right is claimed through the court.”

He further urged the sub-clans of Anin section to remain calm, deescalate the situation and coexist peace, while urging the perpetrators to immediately surrender to the police.

On her part, Angelina Adhel Malual, the chairperson of Lakes State Civil Society Network, said the fighting has brought back memories of the past inter-communal conflicts.

She condemned the fighting “in the strongest term possible” and stated that such activities have no place anymore in the state.

“I urge the government of Lakes State to come up with possible solution to that issue. It is the governor’s role to act on that matter because it has already alerted other Gelweng youth in the cattle camp and other communities.”