Aerial view of Ulang County. (Photo: Courtesy).

MALAKAL, (Eye Radio) – Upper Nile Governor has appealed to residents of Nasir and Ulang counties to embrace dialogue and refrain from attacking positions of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), while promising service delivery.

Lt. Gen. Koang Chuol was addressing the media amid reports of tension in the state’s south involving the SSPDF and local youth known as the White Army – a month after the youth overran an army base in Nasir, resulting in significant casualties on both sides.

The victims include a senior military commander and a UN peacekeeping pilot killed during an evacuation attempt.

The government responded with aerial bombardment targeting the town and other areas in Nasir on March 16, leading to the death of more than 20 people including children, according to the commissioner.

The conflicts has complicated humanitarian response amid a cholera outbreak – and displaced around 100,000 people, forcing many to seek refuge in neighboring Ethiopia’s Gambella region, CARE International said.

In his statement in Malakal on April 8, Governor Koang encouraged the populations of Nasir and Ulang to accept dialogue and peaceful coexistence with the national army.

He said government is prepared to deliver services to the people while stating that they should therefore stop attacking the SSPDF troops reportedly building a road there.

Gen. Koang emphasized the government’s readiness to listen to the people’s concerns and provide basic services, including healthcare, but stressed that violence is not a solution.

“I call on the citizens of my home Nasir and Ulang, to accept the dialogue and for us to live together. We want to know from you what you want because we are trying to provide you with medicine and treatment,” Koang said, in an address that first aired on state-owned broadcaster SSBC.

“There is no reason for these conflicts because the conflict has no benefit except death. Your choice was not good. I call on you to stop attacking the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces who are walking on the road.”