At least one person has been killed and three others wounded in South Sudan’s Warrap state during clashes on Saturday between Aguok militia from Gogrial West and Apuk militia from Gogrial East.
The three who sustained injuries were from Aguok, according to local authorities and relatives and are in the Medicins Sans Frontieres-run health facility in Gogrial town, the administrative headquarters of Gogrial West County.
It was not clear how many Apuk have been wounded or killed as the Gogrial East county commissioner Wol Anei Anei did not return phone calls seeking comment.
According to local officals and eyewitnesses, the confrontation took place in Guar cattle camp some 50 miles north of Lietnhom, the seat of Gogrial East.
Gogrial West county commissioner Makuc Aru Luac confirmed the Saturday clash, saying he had contacted his counterpart in Gogrial East and that they agreed to pursue the perpetuators in a peaceful way.
The actual cause of the weekend fighting has not been officially established, although several local sources attributed it to longstanding land disputes and other disagreements between Aguok and Apuk communities.
There have been other recent unreported aggressive incidents between the two groups, but the details are not yet verified.