JUBA, Aug 12, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Clashes between soldiers and
civilians during a disarmament exercise in the central South Sudanese
town of Tonj have left 127 dead, the army spokesman said Wednesday.
Major General Lul Ruai Koang told AFP that the fighting erupted on
Saturday as security forces carried out an operation to disarm
civilians in the area which has seen deadly inter-communal clashes.
More than six years after a civil war broke out in the country, and
in the absence of a functioning government, many communities are flush
with weapons, which they keep for protection or defence against cattle
raids.
The violence in Tonj began after several armed youths got into a
disagreement with soldiers. An initial armed confrontation was brought
under control, but according to Koang the youths mobilised others for
an attack on the army position.
“On the latest, the number of those killed, I can confirm to you
that it rose to 127,” Koang said, adding that 45 of those killed were
security forces and 82 were youths from the area.
A further 32 soldiers were injured.
Koang said two military officers involved in “triggering the
clashes” had been arrested, and that the situation in Tonj had calmed
down.
South Sudan is emerging from a six-year civil war that left 380,000
dead and millions displaced, and disarmament is a major stumbling
block.
Experts have warned against operations that coerce people to lay
down their guns without proper planning, as some communities could
find themselves unable to protect themselves after their weapons are
removed.
“The clashes should be an opportunity to rethink the approach to
disarmament. What is the point of removing guns without addressing
what drives folks to arms themselves?” Geoffrey Duke, head of the
South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms, said on Twitter.
“We can take guns away this week & they buy a new one next week
(as) long as they still see the need to have (one).”