The local authorities in Warrap State and Unity State over the weekend confirmed that 17 people were killed and 12 others wounded during a deadly cattle raid in Warrap State’s Gogrial East County.
Maluach Lueth Gogrialm, the Gogrial East County commissioner, told Radio Tamazuj Saturday that armed Nuer youth from Mayom County in Unity State on Friday raided over 500 head of cattle from his county and that armed youths from Gogrial East County followed and the two groups clashed in a swampy area.
He said that the attackers came from the Bul area in Mayom County to rustle cattle and that the local youth and the South Sudan People Defense Forces (SSPDF) recovered some of the cattle.
“There was an incident on Friday in Gogrial East County where a large number of cattle were raided by Bul Nuer youths from Unity State. It happened around 9 a.m. when the cattle were grazing in the swampy area of Wakic. Over 500 cattle were raided, 11 youth from Gogrial East were killed and 12 people were injured,” he said. “104 young calves which did not go to graze were left and will of course die because they do not graze yet.”
“There was an intervention by SSPDF and local youth to recover the majority of cattle because it was the whole herd of cattle of over 1,000 head of cattle,” Commissioner Lueth added.
For his part, Mayom County Commissioner Luka Chierey confirmed the raid, and resultant clashes but accused armed Nuer youth based in Ajak Kuac Payam in Twic County, Warrap State.
“The incident happened and it was caused by armed Nuer yuoth who live in Ajak Kuac Payam. It was detected days ago and I even informed my counterpart the commissioner of Gogrial East County about the activities of the armed youth,” he stated. “I do not know the number of those killed from the Nuer youth but 6 of their bodies were found according to intelligence reports.”
Chierey said that he deployed security forces in his area to apprehend the raiders if they turned up there.
“I deployed SSPDF and police at all the borders and if the raiders cross here, they will be apprehended and the cattle will be returned to the owners in Gogrial East County because this is the first incident in 2024,” he added.