Three people killed in Tombura on New Year ambush
The Commissioner of Tombura County, Matthew Mabenge, has revealed three people had been killed in a road ambush by unknown assailants.
The victims include two women and a man who were shot in Mangburu village, nine kilometres away from the county’s headquarters along Tombura –Yambio road, on Saturday morning.
One of the victims, Veronica Raphael Zanga, who left behind a child was on her way from Western Bahr el Ghazal, capital, Wau, to Yambio to attend to her sick mother.
She was being accompanied by her maternal aunt, who also perished in the same ambush.
The women had fled to Wau during last year’s intercommunal fight that claimed nearly 200 lives and displaced more than 40, 000 people.
Speaking to The City Review on Monday, Commissioner Mabenge said the incident has caused doubts among the residents who were trying to resettle and rebuild their lives following the devastating conflict in 2021.
“People are doubting, but the situation is normal now,” said Mabenge. “I am still urging the national government to implement the revitalised peace agreement with IO. The [SPLM/A-IO] has signed the revitalised peace agreement; we are supposed to implement the peace agreement.”
He added: “We are supposed to maintain security for our people to at least be comfortable [and] to know that the government is for them. But we have this activity of IO, I don’t know what is wrong with them.”
SPLM-IO accused
Mabengi accused SPLM/A-IO saying, “We have been telling them that let them go and assemble at cantonment areas, but they are refusing. Before they were saying it is Nando’s forces and forces of Nando are already in Maridi now. But the remnants of the SPLA-IO on the ground are disturbing people.”
Mabenge said one of the suspects has been arrested and was under investigation to ascertain the motive and identities of the attackers for justice to prevail.
However, Tombura Area Member of Parliament to the Revitalised Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA), Clement Mbugoniwia, accused elements of the SPLA-IO of perpetrating Saturday’s attack.
“In response to the call of H.E the President, the other armed group that was in the area has reported to the cantonment [site] in Maridi without hesitation. However, the IO Balanda forces in Namatina have not vacated the area nor reported to the cantonment as directed according to the sources on the ground,” said Mbugoniwia in a press statement on Saturday, of which The City Review obtained a copy.
Efforts to reach the SPLA-IO and the Western Equatoria State Minister of Information, who doubles as a Government Spokesperson, William Adriano Baiki, were unsuccessful as his mobile phone was unanswered by the time of going to the press.
A joint press statement dated Sunday, January 2, 2022, and signed by Chief Sebit Cornelio and Community Leader Ukelle Eddy Gumass questioned the basis of Mbugoniwia’s and Mabenge’s accusations.
“Late Veronica had been living for many years and also moved from Wau to Tombura among the Balanda people, why such an incident did not happen to her and her aunt?” the statement read in part
They condemned the killing of three innocent civilians and called on Tombura County authorities to bring the perpetrators to book.
