Armed men seen moving alongside displaced civilians following inter-communal violence in Tonj North County. Oct 2024. (-)

Warrap State government said security situation in Tonj North County is relatively calm following the killing of 20 people and the wounding of dozens of others in an inter-communal violence on Saturday.

The state information minister, William Wol Mayom, said fighting involving sections of the Lou Community in Alebek Payam on October 12, led to the heavy loss of lives and injuries as the government struggled to contain the situation.

The fighting was reportedly triggered by some criminal elements who had returned to the area and incited armed youth to fight each other.

The incitement was linked to a previous inter-communal violence in the area.

In an interview with Eye Radio on Monday, Minister Mayom said the state government is yet to get a final report about the incident, but added that the situation is relatively calm.

“The situation is relatively calm in Tonj North and still we are monitoring in. I have not yet spoke to the commissioner but I will try his number if possible to get the final report on the incident of date 12,” he said.

The Tonj region in Warrap has seen recurrent incidents of subnational violence in what experts believe is fueled by presence of firearms in the hands of civilians and weak rule of law.

In 2020, a UN Human Rights Commissioner in South Sudan said the nature of the intercommunal conflicts has been evolving in recent years, taking on an increasingly militarized character with military-style tactics and military-grade weapons.