South Sudan army in Wau says town ready for normal activities

June 28, 2016 (JUBA) – The local command of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), a co-official national army with SPLA-IO in South Sudan, on Tuesday announced that it has restored law and order after putting in place security measures to facilitate the return of the civilians to their homes and resume their normal life and activities in Wau town, the administrative headquarters of the newly created Wau state.

The state capital last week plunged into fighting between the organized forces and armed group which left hundreds of people dead and displaced thousands more, according to media reports.

A top army commander in the area has however come out with a statement confirming that the situation has returned to normalcy and that the army had withdrawn its troops from the town.

“There is nothing worrying anymore. The town is ready for resumption of normal activities. Our forces have left the town and the security of the town has [been] given to police and security forces. Our forces only intervened to help police and security forces to restore law and order,” head of armour units of the SPLA’s fifth division in Wau”, Brigadier General Akoon Deng, told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday.

The spokesperson of the government forces, Brigadier General Lul Ruai Koang, also confirmed the return of security situation to normal and that all necessary measures to provide adequate security and protection have been put in place to avert unwanted situation from unfolding again in the town.

Meanwhile a former state security adviser confirmed in a separate interview that the security situation in the town was slowly returning to normal. The official hailed the intervention of the army and their subsequent following up from the town after controlling the situation from spiralling out of control.

But several residents in Wau described the humanitarian situation as terribly bad.

“No government in place and nothing has ever operated since yesterday. All markets are still closed. There are no food items and we hope for peace to return,” said Alfred Uya, whose family members have fled their home in Jebel Kheir area and moved to the branch camp of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

(ST)