Tolit Ivan
At least 1,116 asylum seekers have entered the country from South Sudan in the past few weeks as the world’s newest nation is on the verge of yet another civil war.
Tension has been rising between the forces loyal to South Sudan’s first vice President, Riek Machar of SPLA-IO and President Salva Kiir of SPLM, with the latter accusing Machar of attempting to overthrow the government.
Subsequently, Riek Machar has reportedly been arrested and put under house arrest.
Geoffrey Orsbon Oceng, the Amuru Resident District Commissioner, says there are fears that the number of refugees may double in the subsequent days as the situation in South Sudan remains tense.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, fell into a bloody civil war soon after gaining independence in 2011, as forces aligned with Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, fought those loyal to Machar, an ethnic Nuer.
The conflict killed more than 40,000 people before a 2018 peace deal saw the pair form a government of national unity. However, tension has flared once more.
