By Adia Jildo
Soldiers said to be under the command of SPLM/A-IO in Morobo County have turned to the civil populace in the county to loot the locals for food stuffs and non-food items for their survival according to the county commissioner.
The seemingly starving soldiers reportedly had caused insecurities, terrorizing civilians with arrest and raping women in the area.
“There is rampant looting, brutal treatment of civilians by soldiers in the areas of Kendina, Nyori, Wayimba, Kanatya. All harvested items and house property are all taken from them,” said Morobo county Commissioner.
“Two people have so far been arrested and two others are in hospital for treatment after allegedly being raped by the soldiers,” he added.
The commissioner of Morobo county Joseph Mawa told No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper via a phone interview that the act intensified on the 30th September to 3rd of October with claims that they (soldiers) are starving with their families in the cantonment sites.
“The county headquarters have so far received 235 households and 814 population stationed in Catholic and E.C.S churches in Morobo center,” he cited.
He said the commander in charge of SPLM/A-IO soldiers was informed of the situation caused by the disgruntled soldiers.
Mawa said the army commander had blamed the aggression of the soldiers over lack of food supply to the cantonment site since January 2022 with the soldiers claiming that they cannot starve with their families.
He said the situation has become miserable as people lack food, and humanitarian needs are dire.
“If the situation is not put in place, the civilians will continue suffering. Others are even going back to the camps,” he disclosed.
Most of the displaced are returnees from the refugee camps from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Commissioner Mawa said the revitalized peace agreement should be a key to handling peace and bringing it to the people urging its signatories to work for genuine peace to prevail.
Meanwhile, No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper attempts to reach the SPLM/A-IO military spokesperson Col. Lam Paul Gabriel for an inquiry about the situation in Morobo of the SPLA-IO alleged starving soldiers causing insecurities in the county were futile by press time.