CES Governor Augustino Jadalla. (Photo: CES)

Central Equatoria Governor Augustino Jadalla has issued an order establishing an ad-hoc committee to investigate the recent violence that left 20 people dead in Wonduruba and Jebel Iraq areas of the state.

A string of murders rocked many parts of Central Equatoria last month at a time when Governor Jadalla embarked on a high-level tour of the counties including the affected areas.

On 9th October 2024, assailants launched a mid-night attack in Wonduruba Payam, where they dragged 10 male juveniles out of their homes, butchered them with machetes and left their bodies lying on the road and bushes.

The incident occurred hours after alleged fighting between rival factions of the National Salvation Front (NAS) in the outskirts of the area, according to Wonduruba Administrator Tongo Stephen.

The state government later disclosed that 19 people were killed in different attacks including the killing of nine youth in Ganj Payam of Juba County, while pledging to identify and prosecute culprits behind the incidents.

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) later said it was alarmed by interconnected attacks involving armed groups in the Greater Juba area of Central Equatoria state, which claimed the lives of 24 people, including 19 civilians.

On October 18, four people were killed by armed men who indiscriminately opened fire at a market in Kajo-Keji County of Central Equatoria State, according to the commissioner.

Meanwhile, the newly formed committee has been tasked with investigating the incidents and is expected to submit a report to Governor Jadalla within two weeks.

The committee is chaired by the State Adviser on Peace and Security Chairperson, with the Minister of Peacebuilding as Deputy Chairperson and the Minister for Local Government and Law Enforcement Agency as a member.

Wonduruba has witnessed recurrent violence, with skirmishes between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and NAS forces displacing over 5,000 people earlier this year.

Rights groups including the South Sudan Human Rights Defenders Network (SSHRDN), have called for accountability in the recent violence where dozens of civilians were killed in Central Equatoria and Warrap states.