By William Madouk
At least 38 people have been reported killed and 35 others injured in the latest attack in Warrap State.
Warrap State Minister of Information, William Wol Mayom, said the fresh attack ensued early in the morning in Mayen-Abun of the Ayuok area at the SSPDF military barrack by suspected armed men from Abyei.
“It is true, at first 32, but as I speak with you, the commissioner, in his update, told me that missing bodies have been found, increasing the death toll to 38 people being killed and 35 wounded,” Mayom told the No. 1 Citizen Daily Newspaper via phone from Warrap.
“Most of them are civilians, and out of them, 3 are women and 3 are children, and the rest are SSPDF soldiers,” he continued.
He added that the attackers were armed to the teeth with modern gun machines, PKM, AK-47s, and enough ammunition.
Mr. Mayom claimed that there was seemingly a kind of mutiny in the SSPDF, especially among Abyei sons who were in support of attackers, which led to the killing of the officer in charge of the Ayuok Military Barrack.
“Within the barrack also there was a kind of mutiny from the sons of Abyei who are in SSPDF and decided to take side with attackers and start shooting at their colleagues, even Major in Charge of Barrack by his bodyguard,” he claims.
‘There are a lot of munitions and live machines, guns also taken by attackers (12.7), two PKM, plus a number of rifles from the AK47,” he noted.
Warrap state authority condemned the attack and appealed to authorities in the Abyei Special Administrative Area to crack down on the culprits and bring them before a competent court to face justice.
Mr. Mayom said they don’t know the motive behind the attack, though the security situation is relatively calm. He added that heavy security deployments have been made to frustrate any other possible attack in the area.
Yesterday, lawmakers representing Twic County in the national parliament condemned the violence.
“We as members of the Twic parliamentary caucus condemn this barbaric attack that was carried out by Abyei forces on government positions, the military officers who were released from detention for their implication to Aneet fighting last year,” said the MPs.
MPs also pointed an accusing finger at Ayuel Kiir, the commissioner of Rumamer, and Deng Bol Athuai, the security advisor, for being the masterminds behind the latest attack in Warrap.
Authorities from the Abyei Administrative Area are yet to comment on the matter.