SSPDF forces have reportedly displaced into Yei town hundreds of civilians from Mukaya Payam of the defunct Yei River State.

On Monday the SSPDF command in Yei sent some forces in Mukaya to counter an alleged presence of the National Salvation Front (NAS) forces.

The army reportedly resorted to assaulting civilians and looting their property.

Some of those displaced people told Eye Radio that they were beaten and forced to flee.

They claim that SSPDF soldiers accused them of accommodating rebel forces.

However, the SSPDF director for public relations in Yei refuted the claims, saying the army was sent there to protect the civilians.

Lt. Col. Michael Machar argues that those who fled to Yei town were only frightened of the presence of the soldiers in the area.

“The deployment was to protect the civil population not to displace them because there were activities of this Kenyi Loburong disturbing civilians there and the additional force was taken there to protect them,” Lt. Col. Michael Machar told Eye Radio on Saturday.

“When the soldiers were brought there for protection they think that there will be a confrontation between the SSPDF and the NAS maybe but actually, there was no terrorization so these might be the people who were frightened and ran away without anything.”