At least eleven people have been confirmed dead, and three others injured in a renewed fighting between Apuk and Wau communities on Thursday, Gogrial East Commissioner has said.
Wau is a community in Western Bahr el Ghazal State, neighboring Gogrial East County in Warrap State.
“The fighting occurred in Kurchok village. This comes after the armed youth form Apuk followed the armed men who burnt houses at night,” said Maluach Malueth, commissioner of Gogrial East County.
Malueth says among the deceased are two people from Apuk and nine others from the Wau killed in Kurchok village on Thursday.
“Eleven people from both sides were confirmed killed on spot. Two deceased are from Gogrial East, and nine others from Wau community. Three people were injured,” he added.
Two months ago, fighting erupted between the two communities over the disputed Manyang area. Dozens of people were reportedly killed, houses burned down, and a number of residents displaced.
Earlier, the Warrap and Western Bahr el Ghazal state governments allowed the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and a police force to take charge of the disputed Manyang area.
This agreement was a recommendation from the joint fact-finding committee tasked with addressing the land dispute between the two states.
However, it’s unclear why the communities keep fighting over the matter.