The South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF) has restored relative calm in the violence marred Tambura County in Western Equatoria State, where more than 50,000 people have recently been displaced in fighting between two rival local militias.

Mathew Mabenge, the Commissioner of Tambura County on Wednesday, told journalists that the recent deployment of SSPDF troops has helped restore calm in Tambura County following the eruption of renewed fighting last week between the Balanda and Azande community militias.

“Relative calm has returned to Tambura County after president Salva Kiir Mayardit in coordination with the SSPDF chief of staff, Santino Deng Wol and the sixth infantry division commander, James Akech deployed 600 SSPDF forces around Tambura,” Mabenge said.

“The forces that were sent have managed to disarm members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army –in opposition (SPLA-IO) who were planning to attack Tambura County,” he disclosed.

The conflict initially broke out in June 2021, pitting the Balanda community backed by the opposition forces SPLA-IO against the Azande community with clear backing of the SSPDF forces under James Nando. 

Mabenge revealed that 19 people allied to the SPLA-IO have been arrested since the fighting broke out.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) recently dispatched an additional 76 military peacekeepers to reinforce the Tambura temporary base, protect displaced families, and boost patrols in the surrounding area.

It is noted that it was engaging with political actors and community leaders at the local and national levels to reduce tension and restore calm in Tambura town.

In 2021, the clashes between the Balanda and Azande community militias displaced about 80,000 civilians, according to UNMISS.

The violence in Tambura County can be traced to the allocation of the state to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) in May 2020, as part of a power-sharing agreement between parties to the 2018 peace deal.

The First Vice President Riek Machar’s subsequent appointment of a governor angered key figures in the political elite among the Azande community.