Upper Nile governor James Odhok Oyai. October 27, 2023. (Lou Nelson/Eye Radio).

Upper Nile State governor, James Odhok, condemned the recent deadly violence involving youth and some SSPDF soldiers over a fishing pool in Nasir County, but said the incident was not politically motivated.

On Saturday, armed youth confronted SSPDF forces at fishing pool after some soldiers allegedly shot and killed civilians in in the area, Nasir Commissioner said.

Duol Kun Thian stated that SSPDF soldiers shot dead two youth and wounded another while they were fishing in a swampy area on February 10, 2024.

The second incident, according to the commissioner, occurred on the next day, when some soldiers attacked civilians at Där-Wech, prompting the youth to confront the army.

The clashes forced an estimated 2,000 people, including returnees, to flee the area.

When contacted, SSPDF spokesperson confirmed the incident and displacement, describing it as a misunderstanding between the youth and soldiers over resources.

Governor James Odhok Oyay said the incident was a shame to the state but said such occurrence should not be treated as a violation of the peace agreement.

Mr. Odhok added that the insecurity requires the state and national government to assess the area and encourage displaced people to return home.

“What ashamed us is the incident that happened in Nasir town, and it was not intentionally and politically motivated. Every day, we talk to the commissioner, the commander of Nasir, and leaders of Nyaborjok, that we cannot disappoint our citizens,” he said.

“They (returnees) came from the North (Sudan), and we hired for them boats and we moved them to Nasir.”

“War kicked them from Sudan and also, we want to kick them from Nasir, which is not fair, we will go to Nasir and talk to those people there, and inshallah this incident will not happen again.”

Governor Odhok said his administration prioritizes peace in the state.