At least 127 people have been killed in recent days in clashes between soldiers and young people from a local community in northern South Sudan who refused to lend themselves to a disarmament operation, the spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday. from the army, Lul Ruai Koang.
“According to the latest figures we have, I can confirm that the death toll is 127 dead. According to our information, 82 civilians were killed in these clashes and 45 soldiers from the South Sudanese army, ”said the spokesperson.
The clashes began on Saturday and took place in Warrap State, home of President Salva Kiir.
According to the army spokesperson, young armed men from the Gelweng community, refusing to surrender their weapons as part of a government-led operation, attacked an army position in an area called Romic.
In addition to the victims, the clashes left 32 soldiers wounded and a number “which remains to be established” among the Gelweng, according to Mr. Koang, who specified that the situation was returning to normal there and that the government forces had withdrawn.
This region had already been made unstable by recent intercommunal clashes. Many communities are armed in South Sudan, to guard against attacks, including raids to steal their livestock.