In 2014, groups from Deim Zubeir / Uyujuku quickly joined opposition cells in Bahr El Ghazal "under the auspices of the Fertit Lions". In early 2015, it was reported that youth rioters broke into World Food Programme (WFP) stores in the town and stole bags of food after protests against the rations they were receiving. A 2016 UNDP survey also mentions armed conflicts between agriculturalists and nomadic pastoralists in Deim Zubeir / Uyujuku. In April 2016, President Kiir issued an order that divided Raga county, which Deim Zubeir / Uyujuku had been a part of, into three counties. Uyujuku has since become the administrative headquarter of Kuru county. Two months later, Lol State governor Rizik Hassan Zacharia appointed Lt. Col. Arkangelo Vestus Nimour as county commissioner. At the same time, Deim Zubeir / Uyujuku apparently once again also became a strategic hub for Sudanese militias, namely the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) from Darfur. In May 2016, Sudan Tribune reported that JEM units backed by troops from the government in Juba had clashed with opposition forces and captured their military base. The specialised news website also quoted a military intelligence officer in Wau as accusing "local people in the area of collaborating with armed groups by not giving them any information about their hideouts." In June 2016, the Sudanese government claimed that 11 detainees had managed to escape from a JEM camp in Deim Zubeir area, after it had been destroyed by South Sudanese rebels. Both the South Sudanese government and JEM have repeatedly denied such claims, but the final report of the Panel of Experts on the Sudan from December 2016 stated to the United Nations Security Council that "some sources informed the Panel of the existence of JEM bases in the Raja area and in Deim Zubeir." Many more IDPs arrived in Deim Zubeir / Uyujuku from Raja after clashes in June 2016 and April 2017. In August 2017, the International Committee of the Red Cross reported that the population of Deim Zubeir was 54,000 people and included 18,000 displaced who had fled not only from Raja, but also from Korogana and Sopo. In April 2018, more clashes took place "around''" Deim Zubeir between government troops based in the town and rebel forces of former Vice-President Riek Machar. Both sides traded blame for the fighting and reported conflicting numbers of casualties. According to a report by the UN