TONJ EAST—Caretaker Commissioner of South Sudan’s Tonj East County, Machuei Bith Bol, has called on the national government to carry out another round of forceful large-scale civilian disarmament across Greater Tonj and Warrap State.
The call follows clashes last week between the Akook and Thiik sections that left at least 26 people dead and 30 others wounded, some of whom were members of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF).
In an interview with Sudans Post, Bith said the recent fighting has deepened local tensions, warning that retaliatory attacks are imminent. He is now urging both state and national authorities to step up efforts to restore peace and prevent further attacks.
“These local people living in Greater Tonj are using the weapons against themselves; for this reason, I am appealing to the government to take the guns out of the hands of the civilians,” he said. “Instead of being chaotic and becoming problematic to ourselves, as people of Tonj, let’s be disarmed all.”
Commissioner Bith stressed that disarmament must cover all rival communities equally so no single group is left vulnerable to an armed neighbor.
He added that widespread insecurity is severely hindering efforts by the county government to carry out developmental activities.
“I can’t manage to work with people who don’t have methods of pacifying and making peace,” he noted. “I suggest that all the people in Greater Tonj are disarmed and then we can work with them in an administrative manner. But holding guns and operating with people having them is unbearable,” he said.
The call is yet another attempt by county authorities to restore calm in the restive Greater Tonj region of Warrap State, where widespread gun ownership and fear of intercommunal attacks have repeatedly complicated disarmament efforts.
In the past, the area witnessed deadly clashes between armed communities and security forces during attempts to forcefully collect guns from civilians.
In August 2020, at least 127 people were killed during clashes between security forces conducting a disarmament operation and armed youth in Romich, Tonj East County.
Subsequent disarmament efforts in 2021 also triggered violent clashes between military personnel and civilians.
However, other successful disarmament campaigns were recorded. In May 2022, Tonj East officials reported that roughly 900 firearms were surrendered, while authorities in neighbouring Tonj South collected 277 guns in a separate voluntary exercise.
More recently, in June 2025, Tonj East authorities reported that civilians surrendered over 4,000 weapons following a state of emergency declared across Warrap and parts of Unity State.
Despite these repeated efforts, cattle raids, revenge killings, and intercommunal violence continue to pose security challenges across Greater Tonj.