WES Deputy Governor Badagbu Daniel speaks to the media. December 14, 2024 (Photo: Charles Wote).

The Deputy Governor of Western Equatoria State has questioned the neutrality of security forces deployed in volatile Tambura County to mitigate inter-communal violence citing tribal affiliations.

Badagbu Daniel is recommending the redeployment of an impartial force that will enforce rule of law without favor.

Mr. Badagbu had led a 30-member peace committee to Tambura where they stayed for one week to probe and quell rising ethnic tension there.

He said some of the unified forces who took part in the 2021 Tambura violence are the same forces redeployed to provide security to the people.

“The deployment I have seen is one group is Balanda and they are in one area, while another group is Azande who are also integrated into the force,” he said.

“They are also in the SSPDF as well that is why I have made a recommendation that these unified forces, who fought (along ethnic lines) before and are already integrated into the system, we cannot deploy them again to the same area where problem happened before.”

The deputy governor said they are making arrangements to ensure that current forces be removed and another set of forces deployed to the area.

“What we need to do is to remove them from there and take them to another area both Azande and Balanda. Then from there, we put a neutral force there now that will be able to provide security for the people.”

“It is a security issue but immediately, we are going to do it with immediate effect we are now making arrangement to do this.”

On December 13, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tambura-Yambio called for an end to the violence in Tambura and urged the government to intervene and protect civilians.

The appeal was made after gunmen opened fire at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp at St. Mary Catholic Parish in Tambura, resulting in one person dead, and a woman and her child wounded on 11th December.

Bishop Edwardo Hiiboro described the situation in Tambura as “spiraling out of control” and called on the government to provide immediate protection for vulnerable populations, especially the displaced persons.