Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The newly appointed Commissioner of Tonj East County in Warrap State has threatened to launch a forceful civilian disarmament and pursue suspects behind recent killings in an effort to restore stability to the conflict-torn area.
Abraham Machuei Bith, who previously served as acting commissioner, was officially appointed on 21 November.He was sworn into office on 2 December and began his duties on the 4th of this month.
His first days in office were overshadowed by two violent incidents that left seven people dead.
Following the clashes, Machuei said his first action was to visit the affected families, where he opened dialogue and urged both sides to remain calm as authorities work to arrest the culprits.
Speaking to Eye Radio this morning, the commissioner outlined five key priorities that he believes will help restore hope to the people of Tonj East, who have endured decades of communal violence.
The priorities include strengthening security and peace efforts, carrying out forceful disarmament of armed civilians, and ensuring the arrest of those responsible for the attacks.
He said his administration will also work to resolve local disputes, facilitate compensation for lives lost, and promote development — a goal he stressed will only be possible once stability is achieved.
“I have five priorities. First, it is the stabilization of peace, for the people of Tonj East to live in peace. As the mandate of the commissioner, it is my mandate to let my people live in peace, to protect their lives and their properties. Number two, is the apprehension of the culprits as the second priority. Then the third priority after apprehension of the culprits, we need forceful disarmament, because the governor has declared the state of emergency to be implemented,” he said, speaking Eye Radio on Monday (Dec. 8).
“This is from the day we were swearing in. The governor has declared that the state of emergency must be implemented. So, we are going for the disarmament exercise. I am waiting for the forces in Tonj, and we shall carry out the disarmament once forces arrived in a few days to come,” he added.
Machuei described the current security situation in Tonj East as “normal.”
He also appealed to intellectuals from Tonj East living in Juba and abroad to help in building lasting peace in the area.
According to him, the ongoing communal violence is caused by a weak rule of law and needs collective support to end.
Tonj East has in recent years experienced repeated inter-communal clashes linked to revenge killings, cattle raids, widespread possession of guns among civilians, and conflicts related to girls.
Recently, the SSDF leadership issued a 21-day ultimatum for all armed youth in the county to surrender their weapons to authorities.
But youth groups rejected the order, saying they feared for the safety of their cattle and property since neighbouring communities remain armed.
They insisted that any forceful disarmament must be comprehensive and not selective.
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