Several people were injured when members of Dinka clans living in Nimule Payam of Eastern Equatoria State clashed on Monday. The brawl involved members of the Ayual clan from Twic East County and Juet clan from Bor County.

Thon Anyuat, chairman of the greater Dinka Bor youths in Nimule, confirmed five people were wounded during the clashes on Monday.

He told Radio Tamazuj that the incident happened after some young women from Juet were attacked on their way and beaten by young men of Ayual clan due to a misunderstanding among them.

“Then after the ladies went back home crying and narrated what happened to their brothers from Juet, some men from Juet came to Ayual area to confirm the reason for beating their sisters and immediately clashes started.”

He said two people from Juet clan were injured and one young man who was seriously injured on his head was taken to Uganda for better treatment. He said there were also injuries on the side of Ayual clan.

Another source in the Nimule area confirmed that gunshots were heard in the area the same night as the brawl, explaining that soldiers had shot in the air to contain the fight, which he said took place specifically at Motoya West Village.

Likewise, youth leader Thon confirmed that gunshots were fired into the air in the area of the Ayual but until now they have not found out who fired the bullets.

He said four people were subsequently arrested including two chiefs and two youth representatives from the two clans for investigations. Speaking on Tuesday, Thon said the situation had calmed down.

Nimule is located at South Sudan’s southern border with Uganda. The town is inhabited primarily by members of the Madi tribe, as well as some smaller communities hailing originally from other areas, such as Bor.