Civilians flee violent conflict in Tambura, Western Equatoria State|Courtesy Photo

A political analyst has added his voice to the call by Western Equatoria State religious leader for declaration of state of emergency in Tambura County, and initiation of dialogue to address the root causes of the violence.

Tambura County has witnessed a series of violence that  left one person dead, and several houses razed down.

Catholic priest Luke Yugue and his boda-boda rider was also reportedly abducted along the Nagero-Tombura County road in what is the first of its kind in South Sudan.

A week ago, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tambura urged President Salva Kiir to declare a state emergency in Tambura County as inter-communal tension sparked by banditry attacks engulf the area.

They have also called for independent probe into the conflict and humanitarianism assistance to the tens of thousands of displaced persons.

“These tribal tensions have raised a lot of concerns, and the call that has been made by the clergy leaders is one of the areas that people can just work on because we need some kind of reconciliation now,” said Atem Simon.

Atem Simon called for a community-based solution, but suggested the declaration of state of emergency as the first step going forward.

“We need some kind of communal-based resolutions that concentrate on how to maintain peace in the area and how to reconcile the local communities. The Declaration of state of emergency is the first step but it will not solve the problem as usual,” he said.

For a state of emergency to work if decided, Atem said it will “need more serious steps towards implementing government strategy or civil society strategy or church mediation imitative  or also to get some kind of help and support to start  dialogue openly.”

According to the State Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, as of last week, over 51,000 people – mainly women, children, and elderly persons, were displaced from various locations in Tambura County.

On Monday, national lawmakers formed a nine-member committee by Kom Kom Geng who is an SPLM member, and deputized by lawmaker James Mabor, an SPLM-IO representative.

According to the parliament, the committee members are independent individuals who do not hail from western Equatoria state and are non partisan to the conflict.

They are tasked to interview victims, County and State authorities and other stakeholders to establish the root causes of the violence, and identify the parties involved.