By Manas James Okony
Local authorities in Upper Nile State capital, Malakal, have imposed a night curfew to quell tensions following deadly clashes.
Last weekend, at least one person was killed, and three others injured, sparking inter-communal tensions, following clashes at the Malakal protection of civilian (PoC) site, according to state officials.
The state Information minister, Sadhalla Luke Deng, said tensions flared up on Sunday after brawls which started among women at a water point within PoC turned deadly.
“A man was killed, and his body burnt to ashes, sparking tension,” he revealed, while talking to No. 1 Citizen Daily Newspaper, adding: “but now the situation is calm.”
The state information minister pointed out that a dusk-to dawn curfew has been imposed in parts of the town, as part of measures to maintain law and order.
“Following the incident, we deployed SSPDF soldiers and the police to take charge of security at the outskirts of PoC,” the information minister noted.
He added that night patrols have been heightened across the town, assuring Malakal residents and returnees to remain calm and restore their normal business, as the situation has returned to normalcy.