Detoh Rie and his children have spent the last five days hiding in a swamp, one of thousands of South Sudanese forced to escape their homes as increased violence threatens to plunge the country back into civil war.
When fighting started on Friday in the country’s oil-rich Unity state between soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir and those loyal to his adversary, Vice President Riek Machar, Rie grabbed his children and fled for his life.
“Our villages were invaded by soldiers, who set fire to several of our homes. They slaughtered people and kidnapped our cows and goats “By phone from Leer county, the 51-year-old told AFP.
As the assault reduced his hamlet Waay to smoldering ruins, he claims he has no idea if the rest of his family survived.
South Sudan has previously visited this location.
Only two years after gaining its hard-won independence, the country was engulfed in a civil war between Kiir and Machar, which claimed the lives of almost 400,000 people before the two men signed a peace agreement in 2018.
However, political wrangling has hampered the peace effort, and as combat has escalated in recent weeks, civilians have once again been forced to pay the highest price.
Despite the fact that Kiir and Machar hailed the end of the recent hostilities earlier this month and pledged to make rapid progress on implementing major elements of the 2018 accord, Unity state was rocked by new violence less than a week later.
According to Stephen Taker, the commissioner of Leer County, authorities registered 13,930 displaced residents on Monday, with many hesitant to return home despite reports that the area has calmed down.
He told AFP that “everything they had was looted,” and that the situation was “absolutely awful.”
Officials estimate that the number of people affected might be significantly higher, with many unwilling to seek assistance or afraid to leave the marshes where they have taken refuge.
‘I’m dying of hunger,’ says the narrator.
Kou Tek, like Rie, has taken refuge in Leer’s swamplands, walking four hours with his family to safety.
The father of three described the armed men who destroyed his hamlet as abusing women and girls, telling AFP that ladies and girls were raped.
Villagers were also killed by the attackers, he added, adding that he personally observed eight bodies.
Despite the fact that the 39-year-old considers himself fortunate to have escaped the killing spree, he claims that many displaced individuals are battling to survive due to a lack of food and clean water.
“Children are drinking contaminated water from rivers. As a result, many youngsters are suffering from diarrhea and are not receiving treatment “he stated
Many youngsters and the elderly are “also dying from starvation,” he warned.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has issued a warning, stating that “a catastrophic humanitarian situation” exists in Leer county.
“The situation deteriorated throughout the weekend, with multiple villages south of Leer town ransacked and burned. Adok port, (Unity) state’s second-largest economic hub, is believed to have been devastated “On Monday, UNMISS issued a statement.
‘Shocked state’
UN forces “have stepped up patrols and are working closely with communities in Leer… to alleviate tensions following a wave of violence, including worrying reports of sexual violence, looting, and destruction of property,” UNMISS spokeswoman Linda Tom told AFP.
