Tambura Unrest: South Sudan Gov’t urged to root out and resolve the crisis that has left many displaced and others dead.

A joint team of peace partners that left Juba last week for Tambura Western Equatoria to evaluate and determine the path of the hostilities has returned, asking the government to become fully engaged in stamping out and ending the crisis that has left many displaced and others dead.

The crisis has also resulted in the destruction of property of unknown worth.

The team, headed by Lt. Gen. Wesley Welebe, returned to Juba and encouraged the government to explore urgent measures to stop animosity, as well as to welcome the presidency’s decision to examine the recent events via a joint Defense Board Team.

Representatives from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (R-JMEC), ambassadors and diplomats from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Norway, Sudan, and Uganda, the acting Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan were among those in the delegation (UNMISS)
The delegation said in the document a statement that they were looking forward to the Government implementing its recommendations, including the withdrawal of combat troops from the region and the return of leaders of the different groups to Juba.

They also urged national and state governments to take immediate steps toward force separation and to launch dialogue and reconciliation initiatives between communities in order to de-escalate tensions, as well as to local authorities and community leaders to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian workers so that life-saving assistance could resume in earnest.

“First and foremost, the Government is responsible for the protection of civilians and the assistance to internally displaced persons. However, the delegation will continue to assist the South Sudanese government and people, particularly via capacity-building and rule-of-law institutions, according to the statement.

The delegation also praised UNMISS for its efforts to protect civilians, including the establishment of a temporary base in Tambura with increased patrols to deter violence and facilitate food and water collection by the local population, as well as its engagement with political and traditional leaders to promote dialogue and reconciliation.

However, the delegation concluded that unless the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity took immediate action to end the fighting, there was an imminent risk of further escalation, endangering vulnerable populations, exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation, and jeopardizing the successful implementation of the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in t As a result of interactions with local stakeholders.

According to the report, “it became apparent that the underlying causes of the conflict can only be resolved via full implementation of the Agreement and, most urgently, the unity of troops and their deployment.”