TAMBURA – Fighting between South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and an armed group killed 17 people and displaced thousands of people in Tambura County in Western Equatoria State, an official said, amid longstanding volatility in the region.
Tambura Commissioner Mathew Mabenge, speaking to the independent Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, confirmed the deaths in the series of clashes in Tambura town, Zangia, and Sinakpuro.
“Three civilians, two South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) soldiers, and 12 armed group members were killed. We have also arrested four suspects,” Mabenge told Tamazuj.
SPLM-appointed Tambura commissioner Mabenge further said government forces recovered 12 AKM rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), and a box of PKM ammunition during the operation.
Inter-communal skirmishes violence and fighting among SSPDF, SPLA-IO and NAS troops, have raged in Tambura since February 2025, when the army embarked on a campaign to remove what it termed illegal roadblocks. This situation was worsened by President Kiir’s decision to fire the state governor Alfred Futuyo.
The conflicts have killed dozens and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes worsened a dire humanitarian crisis in the country, according to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
In its April 2025 press release, UNMISS said armed communal violence by community-based militias or civil defense groups remained the leading cause of harm against civilians, accounting for 79 percent of victims, with Western Equatoria documenting the highest number of sexual violence.