Two injured in clashes at Rhino settlement

Sep 30, 2020

The clash was sparked off by reports that a Shilluk girl had been defiled by a boy from the Avukaya tribe on Saturday night.

REFUGEES   CLASHES

Barely two weeks after 10 refugees were killed in violent clashes with the host community at Tika One village in Rhino Camp settlement, another clash between South Sudanese tribes — Shilluk and Avukaya, living in Wanyange II village — has left two others critically injured.

The clash was sparked off by reports that a Shilluk girl had been defiled by a boy from the Avukaya tribe on Saturday night.

Josephine Angucia, the Police spokesperson for West Nile region, has said 13 youths from both tribes have been arrested and detained at the Madi Okollo Central Police Station, in connection with the violence.

By press time, Police had not issued any statement about the defilement allegations. Angucia said the matter was under investigation.

According to Hilary Silas Sebit, the chairperson at Wanyange II village Refugee Welfare Council (RWC), the fighting has since led to the displacement of several vulnerable refugees from the two communities. They spent the night in the bush. By press time, five children were still missing.

Sebit said household property and other valuables were destroyed.

"When the matter was brought to the attention of local leaders, we agreed to have a meeting on Sunday, but, unfortunately, the relatives of the girl are said to have raided the home of the alleged defiler at night, injuring and destroying several household items," Sebit said.

He added that one of the injured people was referred to Arua Regional Referral Hospital unconscious, while the other from the Avukaya tribe was rushed to O'duobu Health Centre III, with minor injuries.

Sebit said normalcy has returned, following the arrival of security personnel from O'duobu Police Post.

Wilson Agele, the LC3 chairperson of Rigbo sub-county that hosts the camp, said a team of security officials visited the area on Sunday to restore calm.

"As leaders, we have condemned this kind of violence in the strongest terms possible, especially at the time when the Tika incident is still fresh in the minds of the people," Agele said.

He said all the elders and opinion leaders in the area have condemned the behaviour.

On September 11, violence broke out between the host community and refugees of Dinka origin from South Sudan, after the refugee youth allegedly assaulted a national. The clash left more than 3,000, displaced.

In 2016, another violent clash ensued between the Dinka and the Nuer communities after a disagreement during a football match in Tika.

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