By Alan Clement
Some members of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) have raised concern over the surge in violence in parts of the country.
The members expressed worries on Tuesday during the ordinary sitting No. 3/2025.
Recently two separate road ambushes took place on the Juba-Madiri and Kaya-Morobo roads, resulting in a loss of lives.
Also, on Friday the Director General in the Western Equatoria State Ministry of General Education was shot dead; these are few among other incidents across the country.
Raising a point of information during the parliamentary sitting, Paul Yoane Bonju Losuba, Member of Parliament for Yei County echoed the recent attacks in his constituency.
He reported that early this month an armed group attacked a South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) post in Payawa boma, part of Mugwo Payam, at around 5:00 AM.
The lawmaker said that such attacks should be addressed, as they create more fear among the residents.
He lamented the suffering inflicted on the citizens in the area affected by the attackers whom he called “our partners in peace, SPLM/A-IO,” noting that schools were vandalized and educational materials burned during the incident.
The lawmaker used the Assembly floor to propose a dedicated parliamentary sitting to address the ever-increasing broader security crisis in the country.
Yoane called for the formation of a national committee focused on forgiveness and healing.
“Our country needs us to discuss,” he said.
“We need to talk to each other without fear.” he added.
Referencing past peace initiatives led by figures such as the late Bishop Paride Taban and Hon. Clement Janda, Yoane proposed the formation of a new national committee for reconciliation and healing.
He expressed worries as conflict continues to surge in some parts of the country.
“If people in Nasir and people in Ulang are dying, when they are dying anywhere here, then something is wrong somewhere,” he said.
“I will table a motion to the parliament, and we will discuss this.” He added.
He recommended Bishop Emeritus Anthony Stephen, a respected church leader with experience in peace missions across Warrap, Lakes State, and Equatoria, as a potential figure to lead such efforts.
On his part Daniel Bech Majok, Member of Parliament for Yirol East County, raised a matter of concern about recent attacks by the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) in Kajo-Keji County in Central Equatoria State.
Last week the UPDF attacked a few members of the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and killed more than five, according to the report on the group.
According to the eyewitnesses and the Kajo-Keji commissioner, the UPDF attack on the SSPDF unit was a planned invasion of the country’s territory.
In response to this incident, the MP called on the parliament to summon the security institutions concerned in order to explain what actually happened and how it could be prevented.
“On July 28, 2025, Ugandan forces attacked our border in Kajo-Keji County, Central Equatoria State. I request the August House to urgently summon the ministers of defense, foreign affairs, and interior; the governor of Central Equatoria; the inspector general of police; the chief of defense forces; and the director of national security to explain what happened and to propose solutions to prevent such incidents from recurring,” Bech said.
The member of parliament reiterated that the country’s defense forces remain responsible for defending the territory as well as the people; hence, they remain accountable to the house of the people.
He appealed for urgent intervention in order to end border disputes.
In response to the points raised by the parliamentarian in regard to security across the country, Jemma Nunu Kumba, the speaker of TNLA, termed the incidents as a military and security matter, suggesting that the matter fell within the domain of the security sector, not inter-communal conflict.
She echoed that the concerned ministries could be on their toes resolving the incidents.
“I’m sure the Ministry of Defense and the security sector are already handling this,” she said.
She, however, advised the lawmaker to table a motion for discussion in the parliament.
The exchange reflects growing concern among lawmakers about the fragility of peace and the need for coordinated efforts to address both security and community reconciliation across South Sudan.
In a separate statement, the Central Equatorial government on Monday echoed a recent attack by a holdout group on an SSPDF base in Bazi, Morobo County, on Sunday.
Addressing the media Jacob Aligo Lo-Lado, CES Acting Minister of Information and Communication, expressed that the increasing threats posed by rebel groups continue to cause instability.