At least 20 people have been killed and several others wounded in cattle-related violence in Melijo village of Nimule town on Tuesday, Eastern Equatoria State, police said.

Major David Gasmiro, the Police Inspector in Nimule Town, told Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday that the incident occurred when unidentified raiders attacked a cattle camp called Paranyiang in the area at around midnight.

The police officer further said about 10,000 heads of cattle were also raided during the attack.

 “This incident happened at midnight. We got a report that some group of criminals came and attacked a camp called Paranyiang cattle camp, in Melijo,” he said.

“They raided over 10,000 herds of cattle and killed like 20 people. Those injured are 11,” he added.

According to Gasmiro, the injured are receiving treatment at a medical facility in Nimule town.

He added that over 50 herds of cattle were also killed during the violent attack on the Paranyiang cattle camp, which belongs to herders from Jonglei state.

For his part, Abraham Makur, the Secretary of Jonglei cattle herders in Nimule described as tragic the killing of the pastoralists.

“They attacked two camps in Mugali so they killed people who are in the camps, they attacked the camp at night and they have taken the cattle but the youth are running after the cattle,” Makur said.

Makur is now calling on the government to intervene in addressing the situation in the area.

For months now, authorities in Eastern Equatoria have been calling on the national government to move out the herders.

In 2017, President Salva Kiir issued a decree ordering cattle keepers to move all their livestock out of the greater Equatoria region.

A committee was then set up to ensure that the animals were returned to their respective states.

However, the decree seems not to have been implemented due to unclear reasons.