Over 700 families have been displaced in Pibor town since armed youths from Jonglei State raided villages in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area.
Rev James Aleyi Zeelu, the Moderator of Eastern Jonglei Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan, said the victims, who mostly comprise women, children, and the elderly, are now sheltering in church compounds and have nothing to eat since arriving on Tuesday.
He said since the militia known as the “White Army” from Jonglei State raided their villages, the victims have starved and are exhausted after walking long distances.
“We do not know yet how many people have been killed or wounded because there is still fighting and people are still running, but we have received some displaced households of about 700. “Some arrived yesterday, and others arrived this morning, and there are more coming,” Zeelu said, describing the situation of the displaced as “dire.”
“As I speak with you now, these people are in dire situation because no relief has been given to them. “NGOs are still on holiday, I think, and no assistance has arrived so far,” he added.
“The government of Jonglei State should tell their people who are coming to this area to withhold their support so that the government of Greater Pibor can talk to the people about not taking revenge so that peace can be initiated.”
“There is fighting ongoing; people are being killed, villages are being burned to ashes, and even the churches are not spared. We have three churches burning down as we speak, and I don’t understand why churches are being targeted.
This is the second time the region has been hit since 2020, when youth from Jonglei State launched a series of attacks in Greater Pibor Administrative Area, ransacking villages and towns in what appeared to be revenge for the abduction of children and women by their counterparts in Pibor.
