Map of Western Equatoria State. | Courtesy.

Authorities in Western Equatoria have issued contradicting statements on the wounding of three SSPDF soldiers in a clash with an armed group.

According to the police, violent clashes occurred on Sunday morning between the SSPDF and alleged armed criminals during a patrol along the South Sudan-Central Africa Republic border.

This comes after First Lieutenant Chol Akec – an SSPDF soldier was shot in his right hand on Friday during an exchange of gunfire between the army and a militia group from CAR.

The state police commissioner Major General Albino Utho alleged that the Sunday incident occurred inside the territory of South Sudan in Source Yubu Payam of Tambura County.

“Yesterday (Sunday), there was fighting which took place in the order at the side of the Republic of South Sudan in Source Yubu between the SSPDF and criminals of Central Africa Republic. It was in the early morning at 7 ‘O’clock and three soldiers of SSPDF sustained injuries and they are taken to Tambura.”

When contacted by Eye Radio, the Commissioner of Tambura County refuted the allegations.

Mathew Mabenge, who is alleged to have temporarily relocated his office to Source Yubu Payam, said the fighting took place in the territory of Central African Republic.

He accused the State Governor Alfred Futuyo of behind the attack.

“When I came from Tambura town the day before yesterday, I called upon the security apparatus then we sat together and I informed them not to enter Central Africa because it is a different country,” he said.

“Unfortunately they received an order from the governor that they must enter and destroy those youth in Central Africa so they managed to enter and fought which resulted to three wounded soldiers but they were slight injuries and killed one from the boys who captured Bambuti from Seleka.”

“This is what happened but the security situation is still not stable because civilians are still panicking.” `

But the acting Minister of Information in Western Equatoria State Bazia Tito Morris denied the allegations that the governor ordered the army to carry out an attack on foreign soil.

“That is unfortunate Governor did not order operation against the border. The SSPDF has never crossed the border because there is no directives for them to go beyond the border that will be aggression against Central Africa Republic.”

“We even in the government of Western Equatoria, we condemn this incident because we in Western Equatoria, are looking for peace, we are working for peace, we are implementing the current peace agreement.”

“There is no way that the government of Western Equatoria can go beyond the border to look for another war or conflict that may scatter the people of Western Equatoria.”

During the closure of a three-day consultative workshop on federalism in Yambio town last Thursday, Governor Alfred Futuyo publicly accused Tambura and Ezo commissioners of supporting armed groups in the neighboring Central African Republic.

He claimed that an SSPDF solider was disarmed and his gun confiscated by a group of armed youth believe to be from Central African Republic on Wednesday last week.

Efforts to get comment from the SSPDF headquarters on the matter were not immediately successful.